Animal Facts
Robot descends deep into Greenland's waters – and films Arctic bobtail squid in natural habitat for first time ever
Arctic bobtail squid had never been observed in there natural environment before – and scientists even saw egg masses around the mature female.
"I didn’t know what I was looking at": drone films one of the strangest and rarest animals on the planet
The bizarre-looking wedgefish was one of several animals spotted swimming in a group through Shark Bay, says Wildlife videographer Jake Mason.
“Ewwww!” A diver was filming a manta ray, when this happened
While observing a manta ray in Mexican waters, diver Keren Flor wasn’t expecting this
How do snakes mate? Well for a start the male has two penises…
Ever wondered how snakes mate? Romulus Whitaker and Janaki Lenin explain
These giants are thriving on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. But there's a problem – their eggs aren't hatching
Adult populations of Aldabra giant tortoises may appear stable, but the number of young tortoises surviving to replace them has plummeted, say researchers.
What's new?
15 super-rare pygmy hogs released into Indian grasslands – the footage of them running free is adorable
See the moment the world's smallest pig returns home in Manas National Park, north-east India.
"This is very rare.” Marine scientists amazed to see enormous sea creature do this in broad daylight – it's usually only witnessed at night
"It can easily reach speeds of 14 miles per hour. Some say they can reach 20 miles per hour…" Can a person outrun a snake?
If you think you could easily outspent a snake, think again…
Drone captures Greenland ice tearing open to reveal colossal animal beneath
The gigantic marine creature can be seen breaking through the ice to take several breaths of air before returning to the deep.
Canals were built for industry, but have become a lifeline for endangered species. Here’s why
Britain’s canals were not designed for nature, but for many species they could be what makes survival possible
Amphibians
Scientists were exploring a river in China when they came across something absolutely enormous…
Giant salamanders are the largest amphibians in the world – and researchers just found a new species
A thousand toads mysteriously exploded in 2005 – and the explanation was way stranger than anyone expected
"Its toxins affect the nerves and heart and it has enough poison to kill 10 grown men"
All you ever needed to know about poison dart frogs, from why they're poisonous to where they live and what they eat
Animal ID
Mountain chicken, guinea pig, honey bear, bearcat – 10 animals with completely the wrong names, 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.
A snake the weight of a grizzly bear and a giant centipede that hangs from cave ceilings – meet 11 of the Amazon's deadliest animals
From a huge carnivorous centipede to a tiny poisonous frog, here are some of the of the deadliest creatures in the Amazon.
It's sleek, black, incredibly beautiful and very fast – and is known as the 'cheetah of the deep sea' despite weighing over a tonne
Learn all about the unmistakable pilot whale, from their diet and size to life in the pod and why, sadly, they're prone to beaching
Birds
Why do some animal mothers abandon their babies? We asked an expert
There are benefits to animal mothers abandoning young – including a longer lifespan
It looks like a friendly garden bird, sings like one too – but it's one of the most toxic creatures alive
Just how poisonous is the hooded pitohui?
Scientists looked at Antarctica from the air. What they saw has them worried
Using satellite and drone images to analyse Adélie penguin guano, researchers discovered that the seabirds eat more fish when there is more sea ice and more krill when there was less ice. Here's why that's concerning
Fish
“Inside every female, there is a new male in waiting...” This bizarre-looking fish attempts to mate – but there’s one big problem
This female kobudai vanished after refusing a mate. When she resurfaced, everything about her had changed.
"With a single bite, prey can be incapacitated or sliced in half, by fearsome, razor-sharp teeth the same size as a great white's…"
Meet the fearsomely fanged, freshwater monster with a bite like a crocodile
"The fangs are huge, too large for it to close its mouth. Instead, they act as a cage, trapping would-be prey as though on Death Row"
The mega-mouthed fish that can turn on the lights and catch prey in a cage
Insects & Invertebrates
"To see one, you’ll need to dive into the twilight zone where they float around looking – quite frankly – like a pair of pink, peachy pig’s buttocks"
Meet the pigbutt worm - that looks just like it sounds. Never has a name been so apt...
It lurches from the sand like a coiled spring, snapping its jaws so ferociously they can slice prey in half… 6 terrifying, spine-chilling worms
Prepare for a scare as we take a look at some of the most terrifying worms on the planet.
Prehistoric insects were absolutely massive. Here's why they needed to be so darn big
Richard Jones explains just why prehistoric insects were so large...
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
It may look like a wolf, but don't be fooled… DNA reveals Darwin's mysterious Falkland Islands predator was something far stranger
The Falkland Islands wolf didn’t seem to fear humans, Darwin recorded, but that’s because it was a domesticated South American fox species
This is why lemurs adopt yoga-like poses. And no, it’s not to become more flexible…
Just how do furry, woolly and feathered animals get vitamin D?
It might be called a fox, look like a fox and act like a fox - but don't be fooled, this is no fox
Marine Animals
"If harassed, it may violently eject its intestine and stomach out of its anus. But if the attack escalates, it finally explodes…"
The harmless looking sea cucumber is more deadly than it looks and has an array of tools and weapons to ward off predators
There's a curious creature on the Massachusetts coast that's taught itself to poop on demand. This is why
A new study reveals that hermit crabs have a clever way of preventing themselves from outgrowing their shell too quickly – and it’s not by limiting what they eat.
It was presumed dead for 60 years. Then scientists sent an underwater drone into the deep and saw this
After identifying a deep-sea coral garden off West Africa in the 1960s, researchers thought it was dead so didn’t explore it – until now.
Reptiles
"The thought of them lurking under the water is enough to give you the shivers – After drowning its victim it rapidly rolls it to remove its limbs…
A deadly predator, learn about saltwater crocodiles in our expert guide, including where they live in the wild, diet and whether crocodiles really sleep with one eye open.
These venomous lizards can grow as long as a car. In the breeding season, things get brutal
The annual search for a mate provokes these usually solitary giant male lizards to do battle
The official who tried to reason with deadly crocodiles – what happened next became legendary…
The day a Chinese official put crocodiles on trial
