Animal Facts
What is an exoskeleton?
These marvels of evolutionary engineering, crafted by millions of years of adaptation, serve as both armour and architecture for a vast array of creatures across the globe.
Spellbinding photo of baby octopus celebrated in LCE Photographer of the Year 2024
A breathtaking image of an octopus larvae, a musing orangutan and an acrobatic long-tongued bat awarded prizes in the London Camera Exchange's inaugural photography competition.
What’s the difference between hair and fur?
One of our favourite questions, and the answer might surprise you!
Can hippos breathe underwater?
How exactly have these notoriously aggessive animals evolved to function under the water?
Mantis shrimp have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Here’s why
We reveal a fascinating insight into evolution's optical wonders
What's new?
How do fish breathe?
Uncover the secrets of fish survival beneath the waves
Unicorns of the sea: Why do narwhals have tusks?
What is the narwhal's tusk? How long can it grow? What's it used for? Read on to find out the answers.
Watch: Astonishing ‘explosion of life’ coral spawning in Cambodia stuns scientists
Conservationists witness (and film) a synchronised mass coral reef spawning for the first time in Cambodian waters.
What is a chicken wishbone?
Just how useful is a wishbone to a chicken? Find out with our expert guide
Animals beginning with 'N'
Discover the wonderful creatures in the animal kingdom, one 'N' at a time.
Amphibians
The olm: meet the 'human fish', a blind cave-dwelling predator that lives to 100
Journey deep beneath the ground in search of one of the world's weirdest creatures – the olm, a cave-inhabiting 'dragon' that is as elusive as it is peculiar.
How do newts find ponds?
Ever wondered how newts find their ponds? Jules Howard explains
Lizard vs newt: what's the difference?
Newts and lizards can be mistaken for each other, despite being very different. This guide, from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, explains how to tell them apart.
Animal ID
How to identify wildlife paths and beds
Tall vegetation in midsummer makes it easy to spot the regular paths that wild animals take - and where they rested.
How to identify baby birds
Identify common baby birds with this handy chart
Woodpeckers of the UK
Meet the four woodpecker species that can be found in the UK.
Birds
“How worried should I be?” A quest through Australia's rainforest in search of the world's most dangerous bird
Deep in the heart of a rainforest in Queensland, Stuart Portugal's childhood dream of encountering a cassowary in the wild could become a reality. But despite being one of the world’s tallest species of bird, catching a glimpse of this elusive creature is easier said than done.
Songbird slaughter: Almost half a million birds trapped and killed by gangs in Cyprus
Progress to reduce the number of birds illegally killed on the island is at risk if support to tackle criminal gangs isn't maintained, says report.
Why don't woodpeckers get concussions?
What prevents a woodpecker from experiencing brain damage when relentlessly hammering into a tree?
Fish
There’s a fish in Tasmania with hands instead of fins, and scientists are about to save it from extinction
Amid concerns about the risk of upcoming marine heatwaves, 25 critically endangered red handfish have been removed from the wild in a bid to save the species from extinction.
Seahorse guide: what they are, where they live - and why they change colour
Neil Garrick-Maidment explains all you need to know about seahorses, from why the males get pregnant to why they change colour
It’s a slimy, prehistoric parasite with the mouth of an alien. And two fearless photographers are obsessed with finding it
The sea lamprey is not a creature with mass appeal, yet there is something about this ancient and mysterious eel-like fish and its extraordinary life-cycle that fascinates photographers Sébastien Barrio and Aurore Barrio.
Insects & Invertebrates
This wonderfully weird poop-eating fly with no wings or eyes had scientists miffed. Until now...
For a long time, biologists were puzzled by the curious appearance and behaviour of the New Zealand bat fly. Now they think they've figured it out. Nick Baker reports...
6 of the biggest spiders in the UK: look for them in canals, gardens, ditches... and under your bed
Don't be fooled in thinking large spiders live on exotic shores as the UK is home to a few giants..
World's most venomous spiders: Are these deadly spiders as fearsome as their reputation?
Here are the most venomous spiders in the world, but just how deadly are they really?
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
Just like that, ‘plonk’, I had an exhausted and soaking wet adult badger on my lap
In the aftermath of floods in Upton-on-Severn, a valiant badger rescue mission unfolds. Louise McGowan from Nature England reports on this heart-warming tale.
Raccoons were introduced to Nazi Germany in the 1930s – and have been causing mayhem ever since
The common raccoon has made itself at home in Germany, but attitudes towards these ‘masked bandits’ are polarised, says Katharina Vlaanderen
"They told me they executed the largest ivory bust in Indian history". Poacher director on the compelling new crime series
Award-winning filmmaker, writer and director Richie Mehta discusses what inspired him to create the new wildlife crime drama, Poacher.
Marine Animals
'Coral superhighway' spanning more than one million square kilometres found in Indian Ocean
Using genetic analyses and oceanographic modelling, scientists have discovered that remote coral reefs around the Seychelles are closely related – a breakthrough that could aid future coral restoration projects.
100 new ocean species discovered off the coast of New Zealand
A team of scientists believe they have discovered over 100 new marine species – including fish, shrimp and corals – following a three-week exploration of New Zealand's vast Bounty Trough.
“The speed of recovery we saw is incredible”. Scientists have developed an amazing new technique to restore coral reefs
Degraded coral reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years with the use of sand-coated steel webs known as 'Reef Stars', according to new research.
Reptiles
Giant prehistoric sea lizard with dagger-like teeth discovered in Morocco – and it has scientists very excited
The fossils of a new species of marine lizard that lived 66 million years ago provide evidence that our oceans were once filled with a vast number of apex predators compared to today.
Incredibly rare giant turtle with a face like a frog found in India's tropics
With knowledge from local communities, scientists have discovered a breeding population of Cantor's giant softshell turtles for the very first time, offering hope for the species' survival.
Largest snake species in the world discovered in Amazon rainforest – and it's a whopper!
A 17-year study has led to the discovery of a new species of green anaconda – the largest and heaviest snake in the world.