Insects & Invertebrates
"What dangles from its rear end needs some explaining, though…"
When it comes to wooing a female, size matters for this colourful moth
The lethal ‘brain-eating’ organism that lurks in warm water around the world
Known as the ‘brain-eating amoeba’, Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm freshwater and can cause a rare but often fatal brain infection. Here’s what to know
"The attack is fast and deadly accurate: the goo fires from the tips of their fangs at a speed of around 30m per second…"
Nick Baker takes a look at the behaviour of the spitting spider
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This wasp lookalike is almost the size of a credit card – and it drops onto its victims from above
Meet the wasp spider – a skilled hunter with a peculiar web.
"A sting from one of these deadly creatures can kill a human in a matter of hours…" 10 most dangerous, deadliest animals in the Indian Ocean
From tiny stinging jellies to huge predatory sharks, these are some of the most dangerous animals in the Indian Ocean
Is spider silk - pound for pound - really as strong as steel?
Just how strong is spider silk? Richard Jones takes a look
"A female that's around 8cm can produce 1 million larvae, while larger individuals can produce as many as 2 million larvae in a single event"
Also known as the European flat oyster, this humble mollusc used to be a vital aspect of London's food trade and is deemed to be an ecosystem engineer. Learn more in our expert guide from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
"Their most obvious function is for digging, used like bulldozer buckets to shift and shovel the mud into shape and create their home…"
Nick Baker takes a look at the life of a mud scud?
“The male has a terrifying needle-like reproductive organ that leaves the female with a gaping wound in her abdomen…”
Bed bugs aren’t anyone’s favourite insect – but spare a thought for the female bed bug.
"It's like being shot or walking over hot coals with a rusty nail driven into your foot…" World's 10 most agonisingly painful stings from creepy-crawlies
You might want to give these creatures a wide berth
With deadly, long, lethal jaws that drain their prey dry, this is one of the world’s most spine-chilling animals — and it's known as an assassin
"Its sting can cause vomiting and existential dread, and can kill within five minutes..." 10 most dangerous, deadliest animals in the Pacific ocean
From cone snails to crocs, be wary of these deadly marine animals – all found in the Pacific Ocean
They have a bizarre sex life as each beast have both male and female organs – leading to confusing orgies and extraordinary mating chains developing…
Nick Baker takes a look at the life of a sea hare
It's tiny, covered in hair, and has venomous spines potent enough to cause long-lasting, painful, effects, like muscle spasms, in humans
This is one caterpillar you shouldn't touch says Stuart Blackman
"The epithet ‘killer’ became a tabloid trope, and panic ensued…" Does the world's most dangerous, deadliest bee deserve its killer reputation?
Just how deadly are Africanised bees?
Scientists set up a camera trap on this parasitic plant. Then something astonishing turned up
It’s thought that ants were visiting this mushroom-like plant – but it was actually a much larger creature
"Their venom is a highly potent neurotoxin, 15 times more toxic than a rattlesnake’s..." 10 most dangerous, deadliest animals in the Grand Canyon…
Mountain lions, poisonous lizards and tarantula-eating wasps: introducing the Grand Canyon’s most deadly wildlife
"They’re the size of a grain of rice… but hundreds can swarm you and deliver a surprisingly sharp bite and draw blood…"
Sand piranhas keep beaches clean by feasting on dead and decaying matter and returning their nutrients to the ecosystem
"They dodge death by hitting rewind. Even after a dead medusa has collapsed into a pile of mush, its cells can grow into polyps…"
Immortal jellyfish, and a few similar species, are said to be immortal. But how true is this claim? Dr Helen Scales explains.
They both spin silk, but what's the difference between spider silk and caterpillar silk?
What is silk? Is caterpillar silk the same as spider silk?
Richard Jones takes a look
It stretches a whopping 106 square metres and spans two countries – and it's home to over one hundred thousand scuttling residents
This epic animal home lies in a huge cave system underneath Albania and Greece
It spans 6000 km of the coasts of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy and houses billions of individuals – the animal that builds cities
How one super-sized ant colony could house half a billion ants
"Their teeth are barbed and hollow, and primed with a toxic cocktail strong enough to kill a human. Worst of all they spit out their teeth like poison darts"
You have probably never thought about whether snails and slugs have teeth, but they do...
"It requires chilly temperatures of 0 ̊C to survive. If exposed to the balmy warmth of 4.4 ̊C, their membranes dissolve and they will melt into goo"
A leftover from the last ice age, ice worms are remarkable creatures that can survive freezing temperatures says Michael Engelhard
