Critters
March 1, 1996
Where the Wild Things Are
One of the country’s top photographers traveled around his home state to capture these stunning portraits of exotic animals on display.
Critters
Stories and updates on some of the state’s many animals
Latest
351-396 of 396 Articles
Meanwhile, in Texas
January 1, 1996
Year of the Snake
At First the Count Was Ten U.S. Customs Service agents in Eagle Pass searched the driver and the passenger of a pickup and found eight live snakes wrapped in socks and pantyhose inside the two men’s underwear. Pass the Boysenberry Syrup or Start Saying Your Prayers Charles Bryant of Missouri
Critters
December 1, 1995
A Whale of a Tale
In a remote Mexican bay, you can touch a forty-ton gray, watch her lovely, enormous baby rub playfully against your boat, and ponder the mysteries of the natural world.
Books
March 1, 1994
Animal Writes
Eight indigenous authors, nine native critters: A bookish look at the wildest, woolliest creatures in Texas history.
Critters
February 1, 1994
Frequent Fliers
Want to see millions of migrating monarchs on their annual winter getaway? Wing on down to Mexico.
Critters
May 31, 1993
Cat Fight
When mountain lions started turning up, the Sierra Club said, “Save them!” Ranchers said, “No way!”
Critters
March 1, 1993
Running Rabid
Five years ago, rabies was rare in South Texas. Now nearly three hundred animals have died and the epidemic is not abating.
Critters
September 30, 1992
Rhino Relapse
Deaths among rare rhinos leave scientists scratching their heads.
Critters
May 31, 1992
Meet the Beetles
Up close and personal with our expanding entomological universe.
Critters
March 1, 1992
Buffalo Bill’s
A third-generation rancher rebuilds his spread by just saying no to cattle.
Critters
January 1, 1992
Big Bird
Getting up close and personal with the endangered whooping crane.
Critters
December 1, 1991
Bear With Me
Black bears have returned to Big Bend National Park, and our author is determined to find one.
Critters
May 1, 1991
A Fool for Mules
One man’s quest to clear the reputation of an animal maligned.
Critters
June 1, 1990
Animal Attractions
These seven creatures might be piggy-backed, whale-boned, dog-toothed, goat-eed, elephant-eared, turtle-necked, and bull-headed, but they’re stars just the same.
Critters
January 1, 1990
Swamp Thing
Snapping turtles are cantankerous, grotesque, and savage. And those are just a few of the reasons I like them.
Politics & Policy
January 1, 1990
The Bucks Stop Here
The troubled Parks and Wildlife Department is supposed to protect the state’s natural resources. Instead, it protects its friends and, above all, itself.
Critters
March 1, 1989
Buddy Maedgen Is Bugged!
The saga of a man and his helpful insects illustrates the age-old battle between visionaries and bureaucrats.
Critters
August 1, 1988
They Sting. They Kill. They Destroy. They Mate in Midair. Nothing Can Stop . . . the Ants From Hell
Fire ants are on a relentless march across Texas, maiming, devouring, and stinging the living daylights out of everything in their path. We’ve tried to stop them, and it has only made them stronger.
Critters
May 31, 1988
Swimming to Oblivion
Marine scientists have struggled for ten years to establish a new colony of ridley sea turtles on South Padre Islands. All their efforts may have been in vain.
Critters
April 30, 1988
Funky Chickens
The prairie chickens in Texas’ vanishing grasslands are booming and boyish.
Critters
March 1, 1988
Who Can Stop the Killer Bees?
Experts predict the first swarms could cross the border next year. What happens then to Texas’ multimillion-dollar honey industry is anybody’s guess.
Critters
September 1, 1987
Shark!
Three shark attacks on the Texas coast this summer are making swimmers edgy and chambers of commerce ask one question: what’s going on out there?
Critters
May 31, 1986
Texas Primer: The Fire Ant
Baby Calves, children, even the agriculture commissioner: no one is safe from this tiny deamon.
Critters
December 1, 1984
The Great Texas Alligator Hunt
They told me alligators don’t eat people. But when I found myself face to face with one in a dark East Texas swamp, I hoped they’d told him too.
Critters
June 1, 1984
The Wild Side of Town
You don’t have to go to the country or the zoo to see wild animals; there are lizards in downtown buildings, gators in the creeks, and deer in the parking lots.
Critters
May 31, 1982
Texas Primer: The Horny Toad
It’s everybody’s favorite reptile, and it’s disappearing from Texas.
Critters
November 1, 1981
The Hog Chronicles
The city boy moved to the country and life was good. And then he bought four pigs.
Critters
October 1, 1981
Bats!
They’re ugly little things, but you’ve got to respect them.
Health
June 30, 1981
Fangs
Now is the time to unlearn everything you’ve ever heard about snakebite.
Critters
February 1, 1981
Life Behind Bars
Zoos are fine for people, but they make animals go crackers.
Critters
April 30, 1980
A Dog’s Life
Fighting over a black neighborhood in Austin; corralling the irascible Bull of the Brazos; fussing and feuding with the DAR; monkeying around with the San Antonio Zoo.
Critters
March 1, 1980
Horse Power
Horses are expensive, finicky, and a pain to groom. They are also irresistible.
Critters
November 1, 1978
The Birds of Death
Cockfighting is probably cruel and certainly illegal, which are only two reasons that attract its aficionados.
Country Notes
December 1, 1977
Ol’ Blue
A good country dog is loyal, obedient, and knows the difference between a chicken and a possum.
Critters
May 31, 1977
Goats Need Love, Too.
Once you let a goat in your life, you can never get it out.
Critters
February 1, 1977
Coping
Living in the country is all you ever wanted—and probably more than you bargained for.
Critters
June 30, 1976
Nobody Loves a Rattlesnake
Especially not in Sweetwater: the score at last count was Humans 10,000, Rattlers 0.
Critters
May 31, 1976
The World’s Most Despicable Bug
The cockroach. What else?
Sports
April 1, 1976
The Horseman and His Apocalypse
People bring their gangly quarter horse colts to Bubba Werner to transform into winners. Now and again, he does.
Critters
December 1, 1975
A Bad Day for Dolphins
Can Bubbles find happiness in a 30-foot tank?
Critters
September 30, 1975
Man Bites Dog
How the Dallas SPCA got itself indicted for cruelty to animals, and other shaggy dog stories.
Critters
August 1, 1975
Leroy’s Revenge
Ringside as two dogs—father and son—fight to the death.
Critters
April 30, 1975
Pray for Sharks
Cuddling up to a thousand pounds of ravenous hunger.
Critters
March 31, 1975
Zoo Story
A guide to Texas zoos: living like an animal is better than it’s ever been.
Critters
February 1, 1975
Preparing the Fatted Calf
America is alive and well at the Houston Livestock Show.
Critters
March 31, 1974
Semi-Tuft
Forget your Dallas cowboys and your Houston Astros. Texas’ real champions count birds once a year at freeport. They’re not bird watchers, they’re birders. And therein lies a tail.