Creature features

More than 3,000 different kinds of walking sticks live in the world, with the common walking stick being the most reported. A walking stick's eggs can be housed by ants and take a few months before a baby walking stick, or nymph, emerges. During their molting process, walking sticks have regenerative properties to regrow any legs it has lost. They have adapted for survival by using camouflage, being active at night, and by altering their rigidness to feel like a stick when fe

Northern water snakes live in and near water across Illinois. They grow 2 to 4 feet long, with females being larger than males. These carnivores eat fish, frogs, birds, and more, swallowing prey while they are still alive. Northern water snakes are non-venomous and are active by day in spring and fall and at night in summer. They have rough, keeled scales with banded backs. and can give birth to live young - up to 100 babies per litter. Though harmless, they may bite if threa

All 6,000 species of Daddy long legs, sometimes called harvestmen, are not spiders and are more closely related to ticks and scorpions. Baby daddy long legs molt every 10 days and become adults in about a year. For defense, they spend more time hiding than crawling and have scent glands that release an unpleasant odor. They can also amputate a leg to run away from predators but will not survive very long without a pair of their sensitive, longer legs. They are completely harm

Eastern comma and question mark butterflies are easy to spot thanks to tiny punctuation-shaped markings on their wings. Both overwinter as adults so they are among the first butterflies seen in spring. They have two broods a year and look different by season. Their spiky caterpillars feed on elm hackberry and nettles. Adults drink from sap fruit and droppings. Look closely at their underwings to spot a silver comma or a question mark.

Pillbugs, also known as roly-polies and many other nicknames, are not really insects, but rather crustaceans. They are the only crustaceans that live entirely on land. They do not urinate due to their high tolerance for ammonia and also eat their own feces. Pillbugs are scavengers and serve as decomposers returning nutrients to the soil. Roly-polies pose no risk to humans.

Groundhogs have several names including land-beaver, whistle-pig, and woodchuck. They are rodents and part of the squirrel family. They live in underground burrows and hibernate as early as late October up until February, around the time when Groundhog Day is celebrated. Despite being a tradition since 1886, no science backs up Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions.

Snapping turtles are cold-blooded and can absorb oxygen underwater in winter via a cloaca (their butt). This cloacal respiration helps them survive while brumating. Their shells neutralize acid buildup, and they can be aggressive on land. Known for snapping jaws, snapping turtles can’t fully hide in their shells. Two species exist in Illinois: the common snapping turtle and the endangered alligator snapping turtle, which are the largest of its species, weighing at 150 pounds.

Beavers are hardworking rodents known for building dams and lodges near water. They are the largest rodent in North America and can weigh up to 90 pounds. Beavers use strong orange teeth to cut trees and eat only plants. Baby beavers, called kits, can swim at birth. They live in family colonies and use their scaly tails for swimming, balance, and warning signals. Beavers can stay underwater for 15 minutes and have waterproof fur to help them thrive in wet habitats.