Mammals

Mammals

Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
Brown rat. © Mike Lane/Getty

Brown rat or water vole: How to tell the difference between these two lookalike-rodents

When all you've seen is a flash of brown fur, it can be hard to know whether it was a water vole or rat. Though the two species tend to live in different habitats, there are areas where they overlap, potentially leading to cases of mistaken identity. So how do you tell rats and water voles apart?
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War elephants

The little-known story of war elephants: How ancient civilisations turned gentle giants into deadly weapons

It's not only horses that were used in ancient warfare. Steve Harris recounts the history of war elephants
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The 10 deadliest dogs on Earth: Discover the world's most ferocious and savage wild canine hunters

Meet the world's deadliest canines who are some of the world's most effective hunters
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Mountain gorilla

Breathtaking gorilla photos reveal the strength and beauty of these enormous mammals

Stunning images of gorillas – from a yawning silverback to an adorable infant riding on its mother's back.
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Kingdom hyena vs wild dogs

Watch nail-biting and emotional BBC footage of a pregnant hyena being attacked by a pack of wild dogs – will she survive?

In this first clip from upcoming BBC TV series Kingdom, David Attenborough narrates a tense encounter between a pregnant hyena and a pack of wild dogs
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Jasper, one of the moon bears rescued from a bear bile farm, now thriving in his sanctuary environment in Chengdu, China. Animals Asia

How is bile extracted from bears?

Behind closed doors, thousands of bears endure brutal conditions as their bile is harvested for profit and traditional remedies.
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A pair of moon bears

It climbs like a cat, roars like a lion and wears a white crescent on its chest: Meet the secretive creature you’ve probably never heard of

What are moon bears? Where do moon bears live? Learn all about the beguiling moon bear in Heidi Quine's expert guide
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Chiropotes albinasus

This monkey has dagger-like teeth and the bite strength of a jaguar. Combined, it's one of the Amazon's most powerful tools

The red-nosed cuxiu uses a combination of force and surgical precision to crack open the forest’s toughest nuts, a new study finds.
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African elephant

“A mouse can’t be ‘stretched out’ to the size of an elephant.” How to make the largest animal that could ever live – according to an evolutionary biologist

Supersized animals should not be taken for granted – Earth’s great, hulking giants are biological phenomenons
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Black rhino

“The huge shadow of an irate black rhino emerged. My only option was to pretend to be a tree.”

Jess Stevens was tracking rhinos in the Namibian bush when she heard the familiar snort of a nearby rhino...
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Guinea baboon meat transfer

Baboons filmed sharing meat like hunter-gather humans

The footage, captured in Senegal’s Niokolo Koba National Park as part of a study by the German Primate Center, shows Guinea baboons distributing meat in different ways.
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Lioness snarling in the rain

10 deadliest apex predators in the wild: which ruthless mammals are the best – and most brutal – killing machines?

Which dangerous apex predators are the best hunters and which famous predator has to work hardest to get a meal? The answers will surprise you!
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Beaver dam

US officials parachuted 76 beavers into the Idaho wilderness – then something astounding happened

In post-World War II North America, beavers were wreaking havoc in rural communities. So the state department came up with an ingenious solution involving parachutes
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Pseudo thumb of a giant panda

Pandas have evolved an extra body part – and evolutionary experts think it happened when switching to a plant-based diet

When giant pandas switched from eating meat to a mainly plant-based diet, they evolved an extra body part to help them chow down
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Pyrenean desman

There's a rare and mystifying animal in the Pyrenees that looks like a tiny, furry elephant – known as a 'trumpet rat'

Webbed feet, a flexible snout and waterproof fur – the curious Pyrenean desman is surely one of Europe's oddest mammals.
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Two Bengal Tigers in fight with each other

11 staggering tiger photographs reveal the athletic power and brutal ferociousness of this deadly apex predator

Urban red fox

This charismatic woodland creature invaded England’s cities during World War II, and has been creating havoc ever since

The British urban fox is particularly prevalent in Bristol, but metropolitan life is not as cushy as it may seem
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Honey badger.

Is this the world's most aggressive animal? Just the size of a fox, this badass raids beehives, steals from lions, shrugs off snake venom and never backs down…

Renowned for fighting larger animals, the honey badger (also known as the ratel) is a notorious mammal found across much of Africa and Asia.
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Lion attacks buffalo

9 jaw-dropping lion photos that showcase the raw, brutal power and savage majesty of these deadly apex predators

These incredible images of lions will take your breath away!
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Christmas Island

Christmas Island shrew lost forever in "one of the most mysterious of extinctions”

Australia’s only shrew has officially been declared extinct, killed off by non-native species introduced by humans.
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Wild Roe Deer buck , natural habitat.

Meet all 6 species of British deer – including a particularly weird, diminutive deer that barks like a dog and has fangs like a snake

There are six species of British deer, varying in size from the diminutive Muntjac to the Monarch of the Glen, the red deer
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Eurasian otter. © Ed Evans/Getty

Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?

How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
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Previously feared extinct, this enormous rat - nearly 1 metre long – has been filmed for first time ever

The average house cat might find this mighty rodent rather daunting to tackle
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Pipistrelle bat UK

“A magical but terrifying adventure.” This Halloween, head out after dark to glimpse a feared and ghostly creature

As the nights draw in, don't be too keen to shut the curtains – encountering these winged animals can be an awe-inspiring adventure
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