Kristen Holder's Portfolio

Animal Behavior

How Smart Are Turtles? Everything We Know About Their Intelligence

Meet the Smartest Snake in the World: King Cobras

Elimination Information: Do Ants Poop?

Sharks in Lakes: Discover the Only Shark Infested Lakes on Earth

Do Platypuses Make Good Pets?

Do Cats Recognize Their Reflections in a Mirror?

What Is a Zombie Salmon? What They Are and Where They Live Explained

What is the Atlantic Flyway? Why It’s Important and the Birds That Use It

What Is the Central Flyway? Why It’s Important and the Birds That Use It

What Is the Mississippi Flyway? Why It’s Important and the Birds That Use It

What Is the Pacific Flyway? Why It’s Important and the Birds That Use It

Do Hummingbirds Make Good Pets?

Why Do Salmon Migrate? Distances, Places, and Reasons for Travel Explained

Do Hummingbirds Ever Attack Humans?

Sea Lions: Are They Eating All the Migrating Salmon?

Can Dolphins Really Sense When You’re Pregnant?

Do (Honey) Bees Poop? And Other Bodily Functions Explained

Do House Flies Poop?

A Question of Elimination: Do Whales Poop?

Elimination Consideration: Do Spiders Poop?

Animal Facts

Tiger Prices in 2024: Purchase Cost, Supplies, Food, and Where It’s Legal

Coachwhip Snake vs Cottonmouth: Key Differences Explained

Coachwhip Snake vs Rattlesnake: 4 Major Differences

Garter Snake vs Copperhead: The Key Differences Between These Commonly Seen Snakes

Do Sharks Lay Eggs? The Answer Will Surprise You!

Why You Shouldn’t Flush Goldfish Down the Toilet

Are Hummingbirds Dinosaurs Actually?

Carcinization: Here’s Why Animals Keep Evolving into Crabs

How Many Albino Alligators Are There on Earth?

Why Do Cockroaches Even Exist? Discover Their Purpose in the Environment

Discover the Animal That Can Live 10,000 Years

Discover the 10 Oldest Horse Breeds in the World

What is Sexual Dimorphism in Animals? (With Examples)

Discover the Zombie Fungus That Infects Ant Brains to Control Them

Coachwhip Snake vs Bull Snake: Key Similarities and Differences

Incredibly, Birds Have More Vertebrae Than Giraffes

Know the Facts: 6 Black Snakes in North Carolina

5 “Extinct” Sea Creatures Later Found Alive

What Would Happen if Mosquitos Went Extinct?

Are Sharks Fish?

Art and Culture

Melungeon Fireflies and Other Cultural Stories of Lightning Bugs

The 15 Most Famous Sculptures in the World

What Is the Difference Between a Cemetery and a Graveyard?

Cacti or Cactuses: Which Plural Form of Cactus Is Correct?

59 Great Chinese Cat Names and Their Meanings

The 10 Oldest Cave Paintings (With Pictures)

The World’s Oldest Human

Chemistry

Lightning vs Thunder: What Are the Main Differences?

Creative or Personal Pieces

I’ve Dreamt This Exact Thing a Dozen Times in Two Weeks

Sometimes Feeling the Strongest Happens When You’re Weakest

Cryptozoology and Fantasy

What Is Cryptozoology?

What Is an Ultraterrestrial? 4 Cryptids that Fit the Bill

The Van Meter Visitor: Iowa’s Creepy Cryptid

The Jersey Devil Cryptid: Appearance, Behavior, and Habitat

The Mongolian Death Worm: Fact or Fiction?

13 Appalachian Cryptids: Appearance, Behavior, and Location

Extinction

Scientists Plan to Resurrect Century-Old Extinct Animal

When Did Mammoths Go Extinct?

How Many Species Go Extinct on Average Per Day and Per Year?

How Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct?

When Did Megalodon Go Extinct?

7 Cute Animals that Are Gone Forever

22 Animals that Went Extinct in 2021

5 Extinct Types of Whales

When Did Woolly Mammoths Go Extinct?

When Did Sabertooth Tigers Go Extinct?

6 Extinct Flightless Birds From New Zealand

How Did the Megalodon Go Extinct? 4 Surprising Theories

10 Flightless Birds That Are Extinct

How Did the Passenger Pigeon Go Extinct and When?

When Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct?

When Did Neanderthals Go Extinct?

Food and Beverage

I Ate Duck Eggs – This Is What They Taste Like

Can You Eat Opossum? Things to Know Before Dining

Why Are Chicken Eggs the Most Commercialized Egg?

Can Humans Eat Coconut Crabs?

Can You Eat Pigeon Eggs?

Why Did Plants Evolve to Bear Fruit?

Feed-Grade vs. Human-Grade Pet Food: Which One is Safer for Pets?

Pigeon Meat: 7 Things You Should Know About Squab

Oldest Cheeses on Earth

History

The Complete History of Great White Sharks in Aquariums (Never Lived More than 198 Days!)

Aztec Death Whistles: Why Are They So Scary and How Were They Used?

Where Do Pigeons Come From, and Why Are There So Many in Big Cities?

The Top 10 Oldest Cat Breeds Ever

Discover the 8 Oldest Currencies Still Circulating the World

When Rivers Change: Why is Iowa’s Carter Lake in Nebraska?

Discover the Oldest Man-Made Lake in South Carolina

Discover the Oldest Man-Made Lake in Pennsylvania

“Lucky” Rabbit’s Foot History: The Strange but True Story

Listicles

8 Snakes That Fit in a 20-Gallon Tank

10 Dogs That Look Like Cats (Will Make You Look Twice)

6 Snakes That (Comfortably) Fit in a 10-Gallon Tank

The 5 Best Tank Makes for Betta Fish (5- and 10-Gallon Tanks)

8 Snakes That Don’t Bite, Usually

11 Ancient Mammals that Lived Alongside Dinosaurs

8 Black Snakes in Texas: One is Venomous!

10 Black Snakes in Georgia

8 Black Snakes in Virginia: Most are Harmless

The 4 Most Aggressive Snakes in the World

The 12 Oldest Prehistoric Animals Still Alive Today in 2024

The 13 Oldest Animal Species Still Living on Earth in 2024

10 Birds That Love to Eat Grape Jelly

What is a Sky Island? 9 Sky Islands Around the World

Can Koi Survive Winter? 6 Tips for Keeping Them Alive

What Is an Extremophile? 17 Amazing Living Things Defying the Odds on Earth

7 Land Animals Among the First to Ever Walk the Earth

10 of the Oldest Bernese Mountain Dogs

7 of the Oldest Active Volcanoes (Plus Their Last Eruption Date)

Coachwhip Snake vs Rat Snake: 7 Similarities and Differences

4 Scorpions in Arizona You Will Encounter in 2024

Blue Whale Skeleton: 6 Fun Facts

They’re Not Only Deadly: 11 Incredible Cobra Facts

Discover the 10 Most Unusual Snakes in America (One is Rainbow-Colored!)

Local News

The nonprofit Annie’s Foundation, founded by Johnston parents to fight book bans, is giving away books at pop-ups all month

‘Twelfth Night'(s): Two Iowa companies stage Shakespeare’s gender-bending rom-com as First Folio turns 400

Oceans

The Oldest Megalodon Fossil Shows the Ocean’s Old Pecking Order

11 Ocean Animals that Evolved from Land Animals

5 Ocean Deserts: What They Are and Why They Exist

What Is a King Tide? Causes, Frequency, and More!

Discover the “Jacuzzi of Despair” Off the US Coast That’s Fatal to Sea Life

Ancient Oddities: 8 Extinct Sea Creatures

Lake vs Lagoon: How Are They Different?

Oldest Animals

How Old is the Oldest Sturgeon Ever?

How Old is the Oldest Toy Poodle Ever?

How Old is the Oldest Bernese Mountain Dog Ever?

The Oldest Bearded Dragon (Plus Expected Lifespan!)

Discover the Oldest Goldfish Ever Recorded

The Oldest Hamsters to Ever Live

The Oldest Dogs to Have Puppies

How Old is the Oldest Maltese Ever?

10 Of the Oldest Living Things on Earth

Meet the 5 Oldest Sea Creatures Still Alive Today

How Old is the Oldest Shiba Inu Ever?

What’s the Oldest Insect Ever Discovered? (Plus the Oldest Still Living Today)

Discover the 5 Oldest Land Animals Alive Today

The 200-Year-Old Whale: Discover the Oldest Whales in the World

The Oldest Spider Ever was 43 Years Old (Plus 3 More That Live a Long Time)

Discover the Oldest Koi Fish (Over 200 Years Old!)

Plants

Discover the Oldest Ginkgo Tree in the World

Why Are Cell Towers Disguised as Trees?

11 Reasons to Avoid Planting an Oak Tree in Your Yard

7 Beautiful Colors of Daffodils to Spruce Up Your Yard

9 of the Oldest Trees in Africa

The 8 Oldest Plant Species in the World

Flowers Are Blooming in Antarctica: Is This Good or Bad?

Is the Oldest Baobab the Longest-Living Tree on Earth?

Discover the Oldest Rainforest in the World

Discover the Oldest Bristlecone Pine (Older than the Great Pyramids!)

Discover the Oldest Olive Trees in the World

The 5 Oldest Sequoia Trees Still Alive

8 Extinct Plants

Rivers

How Dangerous Are Arizona Rivers?

California’s Klamath River: Why Are the Dams Being Removed?

How Deep Is Kuskokwim River?

The Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 Explained in Detail

The History of the California Seven Party Agreement of 1931

What’s the Difference: River vs Stream Explained

What’s the Difference: River vs Creek Explained

River vs Canal Explained

What Is the Oroville Dam and Why Is It So Huge?

River vs Bayou: What’s the Difference?

River vs Channel: Are They the Same Thing?

River vs Estuary: What’s the Difference?

Spirituality

Discover the Bodhi Tree and Why It’s So Important Throughout the World

How Old is the Earth According to the Bible?

Discover What the Bible Says About Cats

Symbolism

Discover Every Flower for Each Wedding Anniversary by Year

Daffodil Flowers: Meaning, Symbolism, and Proper Occasions

11 Flowers That Mean Death

Olive Tree: Meaning, Symbolism, and Significance

Travel

How Did the Lahaina Banyan Tree Survive Maui’s Fires?

Brandon’s thousand-pound pan (and thousand-person breakfasts)

Are There Cities in Antarctica? Why No Humans Call the Continent Home

Discover the Largest Cemetery in the World (Over 6 Million Graves)

The Top 10 Longest Highways in the United States

Renaming the Pacific Northwest: Should the Waters and Volcanoes Regain Indigenous Names?

Just How Salty Is the Salton Sea in California?

Discover the Most Searing Heatwave to Ever Hit Maricopa County

How Deep Is Hood Canal?

The Longest Beach in Alabama is 14 Miles of Paradise

The Longest Beach in Louisiana is 17 Miles of Tropical Wonder

How Salty Is the Great Salt Lake, Really?

The 4 Oldest Zoos in the World (What Rare Animals Do They Hold?)

Discover the Island of Socotra – The “Most Alien Looking Place on Earth”