Animal Facts
10 deadliest countries for wildlife – including the one where Gustave the 'man-eating' crocodile lurks
If any of these countries are on your bucket list, make sure you take extra care with your travel plans.
“We’re not trying to recreate a species from ancient DNA scraps”: One of Earth’s rarest animals could be brought back from the edge of extinction
It's all thanks to the creature's cells being frozen over a decade ago, as part of a process called biobanking.
Are there killer whales in UK waters?
Orcas are found in every ocean in the world and can be seen in the UK – if you’re very lucky
Why are so many ginger cats male? Scientists think genetic mutation has something to do with it
The Arhgap36 gene was being studied by researchers in cancer and developmental biology at Stanford Medicine.
“His wrist was gripped and ‘death-rolled’ three times”: Why conservationists in the Amazon are catching caimans
Studying caimans in the Amazon can help the species’ conservation – but you have to catch one first.
What's new?
Watch amazing BBC footage showing an unexpectedly adorable friendship develop between baby chimps and puppies
This heartwarming footage captures the delightful friendship between chimps and puppies at a sanctuary in Liberia
15 spectacular images of charismatic yet fierce puffins – offering intimate glimpse at island life
Meet the puffins of Skomer Island, which have been photographed by the award-winning wildlife photographer, Becky Bunce.
Cute, colourful, tiny – and weird – they can beat their wings 50-80 times a second and are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Often brightly coloured, hummingbirds are fascinating and beautiful birds, learn more about hummingbirds in our expert guide, including how fast they beat their wings and where to see in the wild.
Deep-sea scientists make "incredible discovery" on 35-day expedition in South Atlantic
With the help of their remotely operated vehicle, the team found magical coral gardens, rare hydrothermal vents and mysterious creatures.
Humans are not the only animals to wipe their bums – stunned scientists film chimps wiping their nether regions with leaves
Amazing new footage highlights chimp hygiene and medicinal behaviours.
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
Amazing videos show flamingos making underwater tornadoes to catch prey
By foot-stomping and head-jerking, flamingos create vortexes that help them catch their food.
“It’s surreal coming face-to-feathers with a bizarre bird you've waited half a lifetime to see”: An epic quest for the world’s most elusive birds
An adventure in Papua New Guinea to seek some of the world’s most incredible birds of paradise was the culmination of a 40-year dream for naturalist and TV presenter Mike Dilger.
This flamboyant bird is known for its colourful 'eyes' and elaborate courtship – but it’s not actually a peacock…
When is peacock not a peacock? Errr, most of the time ,says Mike Dilger.
Fish
The weirdest sharks on the planet, including one that can walk: Discover some of the ocean's strangest creatures
Celebrate the wonder and variety of these ancient, much-misunderstood fish in our list of the weirdest sharks in our oceans
Can any animals kill a great white shark?
Great white sharks are an epic predator but other animals can harm them to
“It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish” David Attenborough narrates never-before-seen footage of destructive bottom trawlers
The widespread fishing practise has been filmed for the first time in such detail as part of a new Attenborough-narrated documentary.
Insects & Invertebrates
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
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
Pole-dancing bears? Watch hilarious BBC footage showing the extraordinary lengths brown bears will go to give themselves the perfect back scratch
There's nothing like a good back scratch...
This cute, furry jungle thief – with a long bushy tail – has an amazingly flexible nose and incredibly supple, double-jointed ankles
Learn all about the coati, a relative of the racoon that lives in the Americas and builds nests in trees.
This prehistoric ‘giant weasel’ was the size of a jaguar and could crush bone – and distantly related to the world’s smallest carnivore
Modern mustelids such as the least weasel have a reputation for punching above their weight – and the prehistoric forms were no exception.
Marine Animals
Staggering footage shows 'vampire' creature drifting through deep ocean
This denizen of the deep sea is rarely filmed alive.
Diver films strange animal "ballet" in Bali
When they swim together in a close group, striped eel catfish look much more intimidating to potential predators.
When researchers hid a camera off the coast of South Africa, a "creepy creature" appeared and attacked this shark
Shark “finds out the hard way” why it shouldn’t mess with this bizarre ocean animal.
Reptiles
"Stunned" fossil hunters just found the oldest ever reptile footprints on a riverbank in Australia
The incredible discovery rewrites the history of when animals evolved to live on land, say experts.
Lethal lizards that can kill: Meet the world’s deadliest lizards
Lizards are armed with venom, muscle and a deadly bite. Meet some of the world’s most dangerous reptilian predators
Can alligators and crocodiles crossbreed?
Crocodiles and alligators are often confused for one another, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can interbreed, says Stuart Blackman.