Catherine Mossop
Production editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine
Catherine Mossop is a freelance writer and editor, and former Production Editor at BBC Wildlife. She lives in Bath and when not working with words, she enjoys spotting wildlife in local parks with her young daughter or pottering in the garden.
Recent articles by Catherine Mossop
It looks like something from science fiction, has a 1m leg-span, can pinch with the force of a gorilla's bite and – terrifyingly – can climb trees…
It barks like a dog and howls like a human – and is a silent, deadly hunter
Meet the very aptly-named barking owl
It looks like something from another planet, eats with a beak and spits out every bite – and has teeth in its throat… nature doesn't get much stranger
Sunfish can grow more than three metres long and weigh almost 3,000 kilos
With deadly talons the size of a human hand and a prehistoric-looking beak, this is one of nature's most terrifying giants, able to reach speeds of 100mph
Meet the Steller’s sea eagle, the colossal bird built for ice, salmon and storms
"Its staring yellow eyes and enormous, downturned frog-like mouth give it an expression of permanent disapproval…"
It might look like an owl, but this is no owl…
It might be called a fox, look like a fox and act like a fox - but don't be fooled, this is no fox
"It has a reputation for cunning, opportunism and haunting twilight calls..." Does this wild dog really deserve its bad reputation?
All you ever needed to know about the jackal
"One individual can consume as many as 300,000 in a night..." It might be called a wolf but this is no wolf...
All you ever needed to know about the aardwolf
It looks like a wolf, acts like a wolf – but don't be fooled this is no wolf...
All you ever needed to know about the coyote
"They hide close to where you sleep and feed when the opportunity arises. Once it reaches skin, it uses piercing, sucking mouthparts to draw blood"
All you ever needed to know about the infamous bed bug
It's the size of a rat, incredibly cute, yet extremely weird – and can sail through the air on its very own parachute
All you ever needed to know about the sugar glider
It might look like a rabbit and act like a rabbit, but this is no rabbit – OR even a hare, instead it's something far more peculiar...
All you ever needed to know about the bizarre viscacha
"They act as a temporary living drain, keeping the skin tissue alive..."
We take a look at why leeches are back in fashion...
The world's smallest penis will surprise you: "Evolution didn't forget to finish the job. Bigger is only better when bigger helps..."
Which animal has the smallest penis? We investigate...
"The real danger comes when they horrifyingly attach INSIDE your body..."
Leeches are famous for drinking blood – and being used in medicine. But can these slippery little vampires ever be deadly?
Heatwaves may be leaving a generation infertile – and ruining sex lives
New research suggests that extreme heat can damage the future fertility of solitary bees
"It has incredibly potent venom, causing catastrophic internal bleeding and horrifying consequences – with the body coming apart from within."
“Bleeding from the inside out”: the boomslang’s lethal venom makes it one of Africa’s most dangerous snakes
Not a wild dog, not a tame wolf: just what exactly is a wolfdog?
All you ever needed to know about the wolfdog
"Its venom disrupts the blood-clotting system, causing haemorrhage and kidney failure. Without prompt treatment bites can be fatal..."
Inconspicuous, quick to anger and armed with potent venom, the saw-scaled viper is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.
It weighs as much as a car, can sprint at 30mph, has dinner-plate paws armed with 3in claws – and jaws powerful enough to crush a human skull like an egg
Learn all about one of North America’s most impressive apex predators in our guide to the grizzly bear. Find out some fascinating species facts and discover how to see them in the wild.
Fox vs wolf: How these two members of the dog family differ and why foxes are not just small wolves
With pointy ears, long muzzles and bushy tails, foxes and wolves may look similar to the untrained eye, but there are important distinctions between them.
Twice the size of the UK – yet 80% of it is a dead zone where almost nothing survives...
Beneath its dolphin-filled surface lies a strange, oxygen-starved world where shipwrecks can last for centuries
It might be called a fox and look like a fox, but don't be fooled as this is no fox...
All you ever needed to know about the culpeo fox
Is it an otter or a cat? Long-bodied, short-legged and weasel-headed, this is one of the most bizarre felines on the planet
All you ever needed to know about the jaguarundi
