Insects & Invertebrates
Think flying ants are a nuisance? Think again – here's why Flying Ant Day is actually one of the UK's most remarkable natural spectacles (you might be surprised)
Flying ants are harmless to humans. In fact, their mass emergence in the middle of summer is really quite amazing. Here's why...
“Eradication would be almost impossible.” Killer Asian hornets are invading Britain but we’re keeping them at bay – for now
Asia’s yellow-legged hornet has a toehold in Britain but researchers are keeping the deadly insect from decimating native species – for now
The world's biggest slug is a forest beast the size of a frying pan – with an enormous appendage to match – and swings from trees to mate
This tree-climbing giant is one of the largest land slugs on Earth – and its bizarre mating ritual is unlike anything else in the natural world
10 amazing Antarctic animals – including one with antifreeze blood and another with razor-sharp teeth to bite air holes in the ice
Discover the most remarkable, captivating wildlife that thrives in one of the least hospitable places on Earth – Antarctica
“It really is astonishing": animal uses Milky Way to navigate 1,000km across Australia, say scientists
The Bogong moth uses the stars to find its way to a remote group of caves in the Australian Alps – new study,
Do we eat spiders in our sleep? Here's the (perhaps surprising) truth
Myth or reality? We’ve all heard the story that we eat eight spiders a year in our sleep – but is it true?
A 3.5-tonne crab hotel has been lowered into the seabed off Sussex – here’s why
How a Sussex fisherman is restoring and rewilding damaged marine habitats along a stretch of the English coastline
Lost-long ‘singing’ insect returns to Britain after vanishing three decades ago
Once extinct in Britain, the New Forest cicada has been reintroduced to Hampshire thanks to a groundbreaking conservation project.
Delicate scales found in prehistoric poop suggest butterflies were around long before flowers existed – new research
A long-held belief that butterflies and moths co-evolved with flowers has been challenged by a new scientific study.
Deadly, toxic caterpillars on the move pose health threat to animals – particularly dogs – and humans
While the caterpillars are a known issue in parts of London and the South East, experts report that they are spreading to other parts of the country
Just how do pond skaters 'skate' on water?
We explain how pond skaters appear to skate across a pond's surface
Faking it: Watch what happens when BBC cameras capture a peacock faking a mating call to try and entrap females
BBC cameras catch peacocks competing for attention from peahens – some turning to desperate measures
Arachnophobes look away now as here are the weirdest spiders in the world – including one that has a taste for human blood…
Check out the weirdest spiders in the world, from the curiously-named 'happy-bum spider' to a fearsome species that eats its sexual partner
"Staggering" butterfly boom in Scotland a sign of hope, say conservationists
Conservation efforts and a warm spring have sparked a population "explosion" for the small blue butterfly across the Scottish Highlands.
Meet the crab-legged giants that haunt Australian homes and hunt with terrifying speed
With over 1,200 species found across the globe, huntsman spiders are fast-moving, long-legged arachnids full of surprises — from their sideways sprint to their unusual mating rituals
Why are snails so slow?
Snails aren't built for speed – that much is obvious. But why are they so slow? Stuart Blackman takes a look.
World's most venomous spiders: Are these 10 deadly spiders as fearsome as their reputation?
Here are the most venomous spiders in the world, but just how deadly are they really?
BBC Earth records rare footage of burrowing bee’s violent mating frenzy – watch nature’s brutal race to reproduce
After spending a year underground, the female Dawson’s burrowing bee emerges from her colony – only to be pounced on by hundreds of potential mates
This bizarre Australian bug looks ‘like a chipolata sausage’, has cannibalistic tendencies and swims through sand
Meet the seldom-seen subterranean insect that swims beneath your feet in Australia.
Scientists just solved one of Yellowstone’s greatest animal mysteries
For two decades, researchers have been trying to work out how a remarkable animal can survive among the scalding thermal springs of Yellowstone National Park. Now they finally know.
"Females should prefer to mate with older males because they work harder and care less about infidelity."
Being a good father is not easy for male burrowing beetles
This fossilised 'hell ant' found in a Brazilian museum has been hiding a mighty secret
Experts say the 113-million-year-old fossil is the oldest ant specimen ever discovered.
Curious animal isolated for 40,000 years found living in Rocky Mountains
Researchers think the creature managed to survive in a glacial ‘refuge’, a pocket of land that didn't freeze over during the last ice age.
"It's like finding a diamond": 16-million-year-old animal found encased in amber on Caribbean island
The remarkable discovery offers fresh insights into the history of one of the world’s most elusive animal groups, say scientists.