Animal Facts
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.
Deep-sea scientists filmed something astonishing and very rarely seen swimming over the seafloor in Chile
Extraordinary footage of a mother squid carrying her eggs
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
Researchers studied fish from 1,497 lakes in Michigan. What they found is concerning
Since 1945, many of Michigan's lake fish species have reduced in size, new research finds.
Do slugs freeze in winter?
Some do, but slugs are surprisingly adept at surviving freezing conditions – very low temperatures do not have a particularly negative impact on overall numbers for the following year.
What's new?
8 craziest, weirdest bird beaks on the planet: Meet the most bizarre beaks in the world – where evolution let its imagination soar
Uncover the secrets behind their extraordinary beaks and what they reveal about their lifestyles.
10 real-life zombies: These deadly brain-hijacking parasites can create suicidal rats, pulsating snails, dancing fish – and can even infect humans
It might sound like a horror film, but did you know that zombie parasites not only infect – they also use mind control to kill their hosts. Aoife Glass takes a look at some the world's most horrific zombie parasites...
Green lights found in 385m-deep sea cave in Japan. They've never been seen before
The animal responsible for the bioluminescence is new to science, say researchers.
“I spent a week in the Great Bear Rainforest with First Nations and it transformed my view of nature”
Indigenous tourism in British Columbia is restoring balance to some of the most spectacular nature on Earth
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.
Amphibians
Lizard vs newt: Just what's the difference between these 2 similar looking – but worlds apart – species...?
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.
This bizarre animal creates its own sunscreen by secreting a waxy substance 40 times more powerful than morphine
It produces a natural sun cream to protect itself from the elements, and also walks rather than hops and has opposable thumbs
The bizarre paradoxical frog shrinks as it grows up – and could help treat diabetes in humans
This amphibian’s colossal tadpole breaks one of nature's biggest rules and shrinks down into adulthood
Animal ID
Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?
How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
10 animals with the wrong names: Discover 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.
How to identify mammal skulls - and work out the creature they once belonged to
Skulls can be found virtually anywhere, but skull identification can be difficult. Learn how to identify common mammal skulls in our expert guide.
Birds
“They need to find a way of managing land without killing birds of prey” – inside the controversial world of grouse shooting
We go inside the debate on grouse shooting and the perceived benefits of burning heather
300,000 raptors take to the skies in “superhighways” where Europe meets Africa. Here’s what’s going on
Raptors and storks are prize species to spot as thousands of birds take to the skies above the Strait of Gibraltar
Why do little egrets have yellow feet?
BBC Wildlife contributor Mike Toms answers your wild question.
Fish
6 of the world's most venomous fish, from the deadly stonefish to the beautiful and dangerous lionfish
These fish are best avoided...
10 greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet: Where and when Mother Nature puts on her biggest and most spectacular shows
Our top 10 of the largest concentrations of animals on Earth.
Sharks have a deadly secret sixth sense — and it’s more terrifying than you think
The surprisingly lethal way sharks can find and hunt their prey
Insects & Invertebrates
10 horrifyingly gross-looking animals that live on or inside you: If you're squeamish you may want to look away...
The human body is home to a spectacular array of organisms – some of which can be pretty horrible looking
It drinks the blood of its children to survive - despite causing them pain and trauma – is this nature's cruellest parent?
Has an animal ever been more aptly named?
Can insects repair themselves after injury? Can they mend their 'bones' like us?
Researchers have discovered how insects heal their injured bodies.
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
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
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.
“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
Marine Animals
What is a Portuguese man of war? This is why they aren't jellyfish...
Well, it's not a jellyfish, for starters ...
Scientists unearthed an ancient jawed fish in western Mongolia – and it upended everything they knew about shark evolution
The partial fossil convinced researchers that an ancestor of sharks evolved a bony skeleton – then lost it
Large cluster of 15-metre, 30-tonne “hungry giants” filmed exploding out of the ocean in Alaska
A whale watcher enjoyed a surprisingly close encounter when a pod of feeding humpback whales surfaced right next to his boat.
Reptiles
Ancient animal filmed slithering over the seafloor near Komodo island
Captured by a night diver in Indonesia, footage shows the creature swimming slowly through the darkness.
Formidable crocodile-like predator discovered in Egyptian desert
Fossils of the four-metre-long prehistoric crocodile were found in the sun-baked Western Desert.
Staggering crocodile photos reveal just how ferocious these apex predators can be
Dramatic images of crocodiles – from the banks of the Nile in Africa to the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.