Animal facts

Animal ID

How to identify our British Wildlife

© Wandering-Cloud/Getty.

Quiz Deer in the UK

Red fox standing in the garden with flowers near the house in a suburb of London. © DG Wildlife/Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to identify animal droppings

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Identify Wildlife

How to identify pond wildlife

Eurasian otter. © Ed Evans/Getty

Identify Wildlife

Mink or otter? How to tell the difference

Brown rat. © Mike Lane/Getty

Identify Wildlife

How to tell the difference between a brown rat and a water vole

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Identify Wildlife

How to identify slugs and snails

More Animal ID Tips

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Amphibians

Common frog. © Greg Hitchcock

Climate change responsible for spread of frog disease

Red-eyed tree frog. © Kike Calvo/UIG/Getty

Fungus threatens more amphibians than thought

Frog with frogspawn. © Richard Warner/EyeEm/Getty

How to rear froglets in your home

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Birds

Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus. Lake Kerkini, Greece.
Photographer: Caron Steele, United Kingdom. Category: Best Portrait. PEOPLE’S CHOICE CATEGORY WINNER, GOLD AWARD WINNER AND BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR WINNER.
Photographer's Story: ‘On arriving in Greece to photograph the Dalmatian Pelicans in their breeding plumage I discovered that Lake Kerkini, their favoured haunt, had frozen for the first time in 16 years; all the pelicans had flown off. Fortunately, a few holes started to thaw in the lake and the birds slowly began to return. Unused to the slippery icy surface of the lake they regaled us with hilarious antics as they slid across the lake surface trying to retain control as they took off and landed. I was lucky enough to capture one such rare moment when this magnificent pelican ran towards me across the ice at dusk before taking off. It was a truly unique experience, both magical and comical at the same time. And the image remains a moment of pure joy captured forever.’

Bird Photographer of the Year 2019

A curlew on mud flats in Northumberland, UK.

New trial gives hope to Britain’s endangered curlews

Black-capped Tanager (Tangara heinei) resting on a branch. © Neil Bowman/Getty.

A natural paradise in Colombia

Fish

American pocket shark

Scientists discover new shark species that glows in the dark

Bottlenose dolphin. © Craig Jones/EyeEm/Getty

Quiz Fins and flippers

Aenigmachanna gollum. © Anoop V.K

‘Precious’ new species named after Gollum

Insects and Invertebrates

Barrel jellyfish. © Dan Abbott

New jellyfish citizen science project launches

Large heath butterfly bred at Chester Zoo previously released in Lancashire.

Rare butterfly to be reintroduced

My, my… what big eyes you have.. and what sharp teeth (aka hypopharynx) you have…

Insects & Invertebrates

Fly of the month – hornet robberfly

More Insects and Invertebrates

Mammals

Bengal tiger

Tiger census reveals rapid growth of India’s wild tiger population

A hedgehog in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Hedgehog highways to be included in new housing developments

Koalas. © Mathias Appel

Island koalas could help maintain species amidst chlamydia epidemic

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Reptiles

Big headed turtle. © ZSL London Zoo

Unusual turtles find a new home after smuggling ordeal

Grass snake on the woodland floor during the summer. © Jamie Hall/Getty

Fact file Grass snakes, the UK's largest native reptile

Amazon tree boa. © Jeff Chandler/Getty

New findings reveal the origins of modern day snakes