Animal Facts
The UK's biggest birding festival returns this summer – and BBC Wildlife will be there too
The UK's biggest birding festival returns to Rutland with talks, workshops and book signings
Scientists capture first-ever footage of killer whales making seaweed grooming 'tools'
Killer whales have been filmed using kelp to scratch each other — a behaviour that has never been documented before.
Astounding deep-sea 'galaxy' filmed off Californian coast
This galaxy siphonophore is a stunning colonial organism that glows as red as burning embers.
'Moonwalking' orca stuns onlookers in Canada. Experts know what it's doing
Moonwalking is a rare behaviour among transient killer whales and may be a way of dividing up food to share.
Big cat vs small cat: what's the difference between these furry felines?
What's the difference between a big cat and a small cat? We look at what truly separates big cats from their smaller cousins
What's new?
Meet nature's strangest strollers: The fish who use fins as feet to 'walk' on land
From the mountains of Venezuela to the mudflats of Japan, across the globe these amazing fish have evolved to walk across dry land
"Fantastic news": giraffes are making a comeback – new report reveals which species are on the rise
Today is World Giraffe Day – and what better way to celebrate it than with an uplifting news story: three out of the four giraffe species appear to be increasing in number across Africa, according to a new report.
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
Rare and sacred animal filmed in remote Saudi Arabian mountains
A breeding Egyptian vulture has been caught on camera in AlUla’s Sharaan National Park – a first for this ancient desert oasis.
“We have an inherent fascination for apex predators”: Steve Backshall on why we need to rethink sharks – and how social media could help save them
Steve Backshall on why we need to stop thinking of sharks as creatures to fear, and why Steven Spielberg's Jaws has got a lot to answer for
Amphibians
Puzzling sound leads Amazon expedition team to stunning discovery
Researchers were exploring the remote Juruá River Basin when a strange call caught their attention.
It breaks its own bones in the battle for a mate, can regenerate and is oddly hairy – meet this bizarre 'Wolverine'-like creature
Meet the amphibian with hair, claws and the ability to regenerate.
11 bizarrest frogs you (probably) haven't heard of - from ultrasonic screamers to a species that glue themselves together when mating
Discover the weird and wonderful oddballs from the world of frogs
Animal ID
10 animals with the wrong names: Discover misleading monikers and curious cases of mistaken identity
Common names for animals are often easier to remember than their Latin names, but they can often lead to confusion. Here are 10 animals with some very misleading names.
How to identify mammal skulls - and work out the creature they once belonged to
Skulls can be found virtually anywhere, but skull identification can be difficult. Learn how to identify common mammal skulls in our expert guide.
How to identify animal droppings: Our guide to the wildlife poop you might find in your garden or out on a walk
Droppings or scats can tell us a lot about which animals have been visiting our gardens, parks and countryside, including hedgehogs, foxes and badgers. Our expert guide explains how to identify which poos belong to which species. Plus, animal droppings from species from around the world – and fungi and insects you might spot on droppings.
Birds
What is a panzootic – and is it the same as a pandemic?
Ever wondered what a panzootic is? Stuart Blackman takes a look
“My chronic illness keeps me up at night, but listening to tawny owls helps me cope”: How these enchanting birds helped one writer find solace
In the company of owls, poet Polly Atkin finds solace from debilitating illness
At a metre long, this is the jungle’s flashiest resident and the world's most beautiful bird
All you need to know about the scarlet macaw, one of the world's most beautiful - and intelligent – birds
Fish
Meet nature’s deadliest sniper, the archerfish – this lethal assassin shoots down prey with fatally accurate water jets
10 deadliest fish on the planet: you won't want to meet these fearsome species underwater
Beyond the shark! We bring you a veritable who's who of the scariest fish species lurking in the deep (and not-so-deep) waters.
These are the rarest sharks in the world – and before long they could be extinct, warn Shark Trust
Uncover the mysteries of the ocean's most elusive predators with our roundup of the world's rarest species of sharks and rays
Insects & Invertebrates
“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
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
See the first-ever photo of Africa's 'forgotten' animal
The image was captured during a recent survey in the Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Community-led conservation offers new hope for the world's most trafficked mammal
A new action plan unites experts and communities to protect pangolins in southern Africa.
Watch agonising BBC footage of an adorable baby ibex running for its life up perilous cliffs, with hungry foxes in pursuit
Ibex go to extraordinary lengths to escape red foxes
Marine Animals
“We’re not afraid of predators, we’re transfixed by them”: How Jaws changed our perception of sharks forever
Half a century after a great white shark terrified cinemagoers, we hunt down the lasting impacts of Spielberg’s blockbuster
'Eggs and sperm float around them like snow': this mating dance is like nothing you’ve seen before
When these marine animals get it on, they bust a dazzling move to impress their partner – and we have video evidence to prove it.
"Blows my mind”: when this drone pilot saw a baby whale off the coast of Australia, he wasn’t expecting it to do this
The photographer was amazed to see the newborn humpback whale launch itself into the air as it learnt to breach – and he caught the whole thing on camera.
Reptiles
“Chicken is her favourite dish. If one clucks, she comes”: can anacondas, chickens and humans coexist in the Amazon?
A Q&A with researcher Dr Beatriz Cosendey on her recently published study exploring human-snake relationships in the várzea regions of the Lower Amazon River.
These 9 beautiful photos of sea turtles prove just how majestic (and fearless) these marine creatures can be
Flip out with these adorable photos to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day that draws attention to the importance and beauty of these endangered animals
More than 100 swamp alligators caught in Georgia – something worrying has been found in their blood
The discovery raises concerns for US wildlife, waterways and human health, according to a new study.