Author BBC Wildlife Magazine

BBC Wildlife Magazine

Recent articles by BBC Wildlife Magazine
Tiger beetle, Cicindela hudsoni, 20 mm long, the world's fastest insect runner, timed at 2,5 m a second, or 5,6 miles an hour, Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia, Australia. (Photo by: Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"If it were human-sized, its speed would equate to 800kmph – faster than a speeding bullet"

Did you know the fastest insect runs at 2.5m per second? Pretty impressive says David Butvill
Show more

"I was attacked in a bamboo forest in South Korea. I still remember how fast I had to run."

Agorastos Papatsanis on the magic of mushrooms and running from wasps
Show more
Are dinosaurs lizards?

Were dinosaurs lizards?

Why, despite looking like lizards, dinosaurs aren't lizards
Show more

"I was dragged into the murk. I clawed at the sand in hope of grabbing a rock to hit it with and pry my leg out from its jaws"

Marine biologist Melissa Cristina Márquez went searching for one predator – but had a scary encounter with another.
Show more
How long can an alligator hold its breath underwater?

One of the world’s biggest predators can’t breathe underwater – yet it can stay submerged for hours

Laura Kojima explains how alligators are able to stay submerged underwater without breathing for hours at a time
Show more
Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

"When it hatches, it goes on a bit of a murder spree. Despite being featherless, with its eyes still closed, it chucks the other eggs over the edge"

How on Earth do cuckoos trick mothers into adopting their eggs and raising their young?
Show more
Aishwarya Sridhar

"It lifted its head and – boom! The leopard was hanging from its neck like a huge mango on a tree…"

Aishwarya Sridhar talks fireflies, leopards and torn trousers
Show more

Starting with a male and female rabbit on 1 January – how many could you have by New Year’s Eve?

Breeding like rabbits is a popular saying, but just how quickly do they breed? We do the math
Show more
A green turtle swimming in open water

There are just 7 species of sea turtle – Here's where to find them and how to tell them apart

Did you know there are seven different types of sea turtle? Tui De Roy takes an in-depth look at the different turtle species
Show more
Serval cat

It has the legs of a supermodel, can run at 40mph and leap 3m high – yet is just 50cm tall. Meet one of the world's weirdest, yet most beautiful, cats

Meet the beautiful serval cat, a leggy wild cat that roams sub-Saharan Africa
Show more
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America.

I woke up to a bear cub pulling at my sleeping bag – and then its mother and sister arrived...

Wildlife photographer Danny Green talks sinking ships and battles for sleeping bags
Show more
Tasmanian devils

"It's a 10kg powerhouse of compact muscle and fur that resembles a pit bull on steroids, with a growl to match"

What is a Tasmanian devil? How big are they and what do they eat? Learn all about the cute but devilish Tasmanian devil in our expert guide
Show more

"I was once charged – fortunately, I could run faster than the photographer I was with..."

Wildlife photographer Pete Cairns on snow, squirrels and uncooperative eagles
Show more
Green anaconda

"On the first occasion, it only failed to drag the female researcher into the water because her trousers tore at the knee"

Despite its fame and horror film notoriety, very little is known about the anaconda. One man who has got to grips – quite literally – with this giant serpent is Jésus A Rivas... Here he explains what you need to know about this fearsome predator
Show more

"At first he licked the doors and tyres, but then decided to spar with the hood. I didn’t feel safe trying to stop him"

Wildlife photographer Deena Sveinsson on braving the cold for the perfect shot
Show more
Juan Carlos Vindas/ Getty Images

This mammal's bizarre tongue is so long it has to tuck it up inside its ribcage. Here's why

Here's how and why the tube-lipped nectar bat stores its extra long tongue
Show more
In 1457 France, a sow and her piglets were tried for murder after the sow partially ate a child, who later died. The sow was found guilty and executed, but her piglets were found not guilty due to their young age. Illustration published 1863.

"It was declared an act of heresy and witchcraft, and it was convicted to death by fire…" 11 horrendous times animals were tried for their crimes in court

From medieval Europe to modern courtrooms, here are 11 bizarre times that animals have found themselves in the dock…
Show more
Will Whitford

“It burst from the inky water, right beside us. We were very lucky”. Close shave with dangerous, massive creature in Zambian swamp

Wildlife photographer Will Whitford talks elusive pumas and obliging silverbacks
Show more
Michael Fox/ Getty Images

"Dark fluid from his temporal glands stains the sides of his face, and other males often give him a wide berth. And for very good reason."

What happens when a bull elephant is in musth and why does it happen?
Show more
Grizzly bears

Do animals have oral sex?

The behaviour has been observed in animals in the wild – but does it have a biological purpose?
Show more

"People once believed that fairy rings were dance floors for night- time fairies…" Just what is a fairy ring? And how do they form?

Just how and why do fairy rings form? We take a look
Show more
Illustration of big cat in British countryside

Black leopards are secretly thriving in the British countryside – here’s the whole incredible story

Rick Minter, podcast host and author of Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild Predators, says that sightings and DNA tests suggest that large cats such as black leopards are quietly naturalising in Britain.
Show more
An African elephant, the heaviest land animal

Why are huge animals so darned rare?

Henry Gee takes a look at why there are so few big animal species
Show more
Low angle of a chimpanzee in a tree

Do any other animals (apart from humans) masturbate?

Species from around the animal kingdom engage in the behaviour – but why?
Show more
Footer banner
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2026