Marine Animals

A mountain hare hunkers down in a snow storm in The Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland. © Lyle McCalmont/Getty

British wildlife in December

Gentoo penguins (P. poncetti). © Gemma Clucas

Gentoo penguins should be split into four species, rather than two subspecies

Juvenile hedgehog in autumn, in Dorset. © Colin Varndell

British wildlife in November

The hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata). © Gabriel Mendes/Getty

Five blood-sucking creatures

Common octopus sitting among the rocks. © Dave Musgrove

Tales from the Bush

A swim in the sea with an inquisitive octopus

Common Sydney octopus showing a tentacle and suckers. © cbimages/Alamy

Insects & Invertebrates

Do octopuses ever live together?

California two-spot octopus. © Phil Garner/Alamy

Insects & Invertebrates

Why do female octopuses die after reproducing?

Only a few of the ostracods in the amber piece could be studied using light microscopy, like this individual of the new species Myanmarcypris hui. Its antennae extend from the bivalved shell. Most other specimens lie too deep in the amber or the view is obstructed by debris particles. © He Wang and Xiangdong Zhao

100 million year old giant sperm is world’s oldest

A goldcrest perched on a bramble looking for insects. © Gary Chalker/Getty

Guide to tautonyms, triple tautonyms, and binomial nomenclature

A group of king penguins. Mint Images - David Schultz/Getty

King penguin guide: species facts and where they live

Marine iguana in the Galápagos Islands. © Joseph J Orsi

Marine iguana guide: where they’re found, why they’re unique and the threats they face

Native oyster cluster. © David Smyth

Insects & Invertebrates

European native oyster guide: where it’s found, and why it’s an ecosystem engineer

Great white shark. © Getty

Is there really no such thing as a fish?

Bloody Henry starfish on golden star tunicate and sea sponge, Loch Roag, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, UK. © Paul Kay/Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Do starfish have arms or legs?

Turritopsis dohrnii. © Yiming Chen/Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Is it really true that some animals live forever?