Cara Giaimo's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Cara Giaimo

former staff writer, forever fan // @cjgiaimo // caragiaimo (at) gmail (dot) com

2015
joined atlas
obscura

countries
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places
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places
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Leaderboard Highlights

Cara Giaimo's activity rankings

1^st

Places visited in Jonesport, Maine

1^st

Places added to Manteo, North Carolina

1^st

Places visited in United States / Canada

2^nd

Places added to Outer Hebrides, Scotland

2^nd

Places edited in Nye County, Nevada

2^nd

Places edited in Visby, Sweden

3^rd

Places added to Quito, Ecuador

3^rd

Places edited in Vanuatu

4^th

Places edited in Pacifica, California

wild life excerpts

What Sets Humans Apart From Other Creatures? Less Than You Might Think.

Our new book, "Wild Life," publishes today.

September 17, 2024

wild life excerpts

Meet the Bone-Eating Vulture That Dyes Itself the Color of Blood

You don't get more hardcore than the lammergeier.

September 6, 2024

wild life excerpts

In This Beautiful Library, Bats Guard the Books

The winged residents have been lurking in the stacks since the 18th century.

August 30, 2024

wild life excerpts

The Impressive Trickery of Spider-Tailed Horned Vipers

It’s a spider! No, it’s a snake!

August 23, 2024

wild life excerpts

Small Crickets Amplify Their Sounds With Savvy Engineering

A little leaf hack helps their chirps reach more females.

August 16, 2024

wild life excerpts

How the Vampire Finch Developed a Taste for Blood

Meet the Galápagos birds Darwin didn't tell you about.

How Camera Traps Capture Rare Wildlife Candids

Researchers use camera traps to answer serious and silly questions.

wild life excerpts

Antarctica's Largest Native Land Animal Is Actually Rather Tiny

Meet the mighty midge.

wild life excerpts

These Hardworking Mussels Monitor Poland's Drinking Water

Polish cities trust their water quality to elite shellfish teams.

wild life excerpts

Baby Spiders Are 'Addicted' to Flying With Mini Balloons

From Himalayan jumping spiders to brown widows, arachnids love to float over your head.

wild life excerpts

The Surprising Complexity of Prairie Dog Language

We learn how to listen closely to these critters—they're saying a lot more than you'd think.

wild life excerpts

Helpful Honeyguides Have a Long and Sweet Alliance With Humans

Across sub-Saharan Africa, these birds lead humans to hidden bee colonies.

Oxpeckers Are an Early Warning System for Rhinos at Risk

As their name suggests, these small birds provide critical cleaning services to oxen, impala and other animals of the savanna—with a side hustle as rhino guards.

The Small but Wonderful World of Bird Memorials

A statue in Maine made for a vagrant hawk offers one way to honor these fleeting visitors. Flaco fans take note.

wild life excerpts

The Elegant, Intelligent Architecture of Tent-Making Bats

More than 20 species of these winged mammals construct tiny leaf homes with climate control and built-in security alarms.

Announcing Atlas Obscura's Upcoming Book: Wild Life!

This fall, we're offering a stunning, all-new guide to the world's living wonders.

The Many Lives of ‘Sounds of North American Frogs’

This metamorphic record is a teaching tool, a flirtation device, a college radio favorite, a nostalgic object, and more. BOOP!

January 23, 2024

The Man Who Went to War With Canada

For centuries, the United States and Canada’s only remaining land border dispute has been kept alive by a single family.

September 29, 2019

The Celebrity Tortoise Breakup That Rocked the World

In 2011, after nearly a century together, Galápagos tortoises Bibi and Poldi called it quits. We still don’t know why.

February 13, 2019

The Boston Molasses Flood Is Worth Taking Seriously

In 1919, a viscous 40-foot wave slammed into the city's North End, killing 21 people.

January 15, 2019

How Nevada Became the Only State Where You Can Vote for 'None of These Candidates'

In some years, a good option.

November 6, 2018

Non-Human Mammals Love the Suburbs, Too

A new study suggests they're learning to live in the urban sprawl.

October 5, 2018

extinct animals

How to Write an Opera About Locusts

In Wyoming, a buzzworthy bug mystery hits the stage.

October 3, 2018

96 Rare Baby Sea Turtles Just Hatched in Queens, New York

If they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere.

October 3, 2018