Are these the saddest animals on the planet? Meet the 10 loneliest animals on Earth
Learn about the animals that were the very last of their kind
Breathtaking footage shows diver's close encounter with the world's biggest octopus
The giant Pacific octopus is so enormous its arms could wrap around a small car.
“Staring menacingly, the buffaloes encircled our vehicle.” My close encounter with a mega-stampede
In a quiet corner of Africa a dramatic and dusty spectacle unfolds with the arrival of megaherds of buffaloes
The wildlife traveller's calendar: Plan your year around these wildlife spectacles
Seek wildlife holiday inspiration with this month-by-month travel calendar
Great crested grebe seen drowning and eating chiffchaffs in Spain
Birdwatcher and photographer Juan Montiel captured the unusual grebe behaviour on camera.
From anal ventilators to boiling, toxic fart machines: 10 weirdest and deadliest bottoms on the planet
From explosive sea cucumbers to beetles that spray boiling toxic fluid from their bums, the world of wildlife is full of unexpected adaptations. These butts aren't just weird – they're life-saving
“Effects range from internal bleeding to manipulating behaviour or liquifying a host.” These are the deadliest weapons in the animal kingdom
Powerful punches. Flesh-tearing teeth. Deadly talons. We explore the best (or is it the worst?) weapons in the natural world.
A fiery belly, jagged crest and long, broad tail – this may be the closest thing to a real-life dragon
Male great crested newts are at their most dragonesque in spring.
“Here, ‘weirdness’ abounds. One creature seemingly has the beak of a duck, the body of an otter and the tail of a beaver.”
Why does Australia have so many weird species that go against evolutionary norms? Helen Pilcher takes a look
It’s not a pig and it’s not from Guinea – and it’s bolder, riskier and more sociable than your childhood pet
Guinea pigs do exist in the wild – but they're not like the ones you might have looked after at home...
Birds
It's as big as a Ford Fiesta, as heavy as a polar bear and can contain more than 200 ‘apartments'
Their nests are not only as large as a car, but often built in the weirdest of places...
"They can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone." 11 bonkers, rule-breaking birds that can't fly
There are some birds that can't take to the sky, despite having wings. Discover 10 curious and wonderful birds that have lost the ability to fly
“The ejaculation helmet was born.” Researchers built a “hat of condoms” in bid to save world’s heaviest parrot
A YouTube video of Sirocco the kākāpō attempting to mate with a human's head has been viewed millions of times – but he's since become a global icon representing New Zealand's endangered species
“At the height of the breeding season, the males perform this routine in sessions lasting three or four hours.”
The courtship displays of this game bird bring a flurry of flamboyance to its monotonous prairie home
Ginormous king penguin colony filmed on remote Atlantic island. The sound of it is ear-splitting
Listen to the remarkable sound of thousands of penguins calling to each other in South Georgia.
"It has huge back legs armed with dagger-like claws that can reach 12cm long." 10 bonkers birds that break the rules of nature
Discover the extraordinary birds that defy nature’s norms.
How to identify wildlife
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: Think you know how they differ? Think again as the differences between these two squirrels will surprise you
We take a look at how the red squirrel differs to its American grey cousin
Brown rat or water vole: How to tell the difference between these two lookalike-rodents
When all you've seen is a flash of brown fur, it can be hard to know whether it was a water vole or rat. Though the two species tend to live in different habitats, there are areas where they overlap, potentially leading to cases of mistaken identity. So how do you tell rats and water voles apart?
Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?
How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
LRPs, PG Tips and Jizz: Cracking the secret language of birders
You’re sitting in a hide and overhear other birders talking. The conversation ranges from ‘LRPs’ and ‘roosting Leos’ and you scratch your chin as you try to decipher their code – welcome to the world of birding jargon.
It's the fastest animal in the world and its deadly claws can catch prey mid-air: Meet one of the world's most incredible birds of prey
Peregrines are the ultimate urban predator. Learn all about them, including how to spot them ‘stooping’ to catch prey
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Plants
Stunning wildflower 'superbloom' sweeps through Death Valley. It's the best display in a decade
The hottest place on the planet has transformed into a sea of colour, as desert gold and notch-leaf phacelia flowers fill the valley floor.
Do plants sleep?
When the sun goes down, some flowers appear to tuck themselves in for the night.
But this curious habit is actually driven by a fascinating piece of plant science.
“These beacons of light in the mud do so much more than promise us brighter days ahead.”
The first signs of spring aren’t just beautiful – they’re essential to awakening wildlife, too
It's as big as a tractor tyre and smells like a rotting corpse
Why the biggest flower in the world is also the smelliest...
