Megan Shersby
Naturalist, writer and content creator
Megan is a naturalist, writer and content creator. She is also a bookworm and a keen board gamer. She is the former editorial and digital co-ordinator at BBC Wildlife, and wrote features and sections for both the print magazine and discoverwildlife.com, including the Q&A and Go Wild sections, Poo Corner and News Species Discovery, the weekly e-newsletter and the social media accounts. Her features have included olms (cave salamanders) in Slovenia, arapaima (very big fish) in Guyana, and the role of hippos as ecosystem engineers in Zambia. She has also contributed to the website and magazine of BBC Countryfile Magazine, and has hosted some its podcast episodes. Prior to joining BBC Wildlife in 2016, she gained a degree in BSc(Hons) Animal Science, undertook behavioural research on zebras and dwarf mongooses, and worked in environmental education for a number of conservation charities.
Recent articles by Megan Shersby
What’s the world's smallest cat? Meet the tiny felines barely larger than a ruler
Smaller than an adult domestic cat, there are two species of wild cat that could be considered the world’s smallest cat.
They're one of the weirdest type of animals on the planet, famous for their pouches, but what on Earth are marsupials and why do they have pouches?
Learn all about marsupials in our expert guide, including why they have pouches
Wolves, dragons and devil whales: The strange animal world of Anglo-Saxon England
We examine the clues in Anglo-Saxon literature and language to determine how they regarded different animals.
It looked & acted like today’s moles – but this was the first: a Jurassic mammal built with supercharged digging arms for life beneath the dinosaurs
The mole that sheds light on how mammals evolved...
Fierce, majestic – and built to kill – The world's biggest and mightiest birds of prey
All you need to know about the magnificent birds of prey, including the biggest in the world
Know your Zygomorphic & Bioacoustics from your Anthropocene & Neotony? 81 strange, bizarre scientific & biological terms you probably don't know...
Have you ever puzzled over the meaning of a particular wildlife word or phrase? Then puzzle no more! From the 'Fraser Darling effect' to the 'K-T Boundary', our glossary provides the explanation – in plain, simple English.
Australia’s earless dragon is so rare it was thought extinct, until two ecologists got an unexpected surprise...
A Critically Endangered reptile known only to occur in the grasslands around Melbourne has been spotted for the first time in more than 50 years
What's the largest beetle in the world? Clue – it's as long as a toothbrush
Two beetle species are contenders for the accolade of biggest beetle– depending on how you’re measuring.
Guanaco, gadwall, gila monster... 15 animals beginning with 'G'
Discover 14 animals starting with the letter 'G' but which ones have we forgotten? Let us know...
Which species are named after Sir David Attenborough? And how many of them are there?
Sir David Attenborough has over 50 species named after him, ranging from a prehistoric marine reptile to a native British flower only found in the Brecon Beacons of South Wales.
"Swarms attack and dismember anything in their path, piece by piece..." 10 brutal and savage animals that can kill and devour prey twice their size
Gruesome warning alert! Here are 10 animals that can kill and eat prey twice their size - often in rather a gruesome way
Great crested grebe seen drowning and eating chiffchaffs in Spain
Birdwatcher and photographer Juan Montiel captured the unusual grebe behaviour on camera.
"Exceptional discovery." Animals thought extinct for 6,000 years found alive in Indonesian rainforest
Two marsupial species previously only known from the fossil record have been rediscovered in New Guinea.
Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for an entire week. How they do it is incredible
The bumblebees avoid drowning by combining underwater gas exchange with anaerobic metabolism, according to a new study.
"She will end up focusing on the stronger cub and the weaker cub is ignored, and will die" 10 worst – and most abusive – parents in the animal kingdom
Parenthood looks different across species – and not all are as supportive and nurturing as you might expect. From cliff-diving chicks to sibling cannibalism, these are the animals who parent in an extreme way
It's the size of a small car, has outlived the dinosaurs can dive a bonkers 1,000 metres down
Our guide to the endangered leatherback turtle most frequently seen in British waters.
It's as big as a loaf of bread and weighs the same as a small, 8-week-old puppy
Did you know the world's largest frog is a whopping 32cm long and weighs 3.25kg?
It's 3 million years old, the size of Vikos Gorge and is home to one of the world's weirdest animals – the 'human fish'
Megan Shersby explores one of the world's most spectacular caves, Postojna Cave
It has hundreds of teeth on its eyeballs? Yes - well sort of...
Did you know whale sharks hide a curious armour of tooth-like scales across their eyes?
11 deadliest females on the planet: Discover some ferocious female animals that you wouldn't want to mess with
'For the female of the species is more deadly than the male' – here are our top 11 deadliest females that prove just that.
It's as tall as Brad Pitt, weighs 169kg, up to 10 times stronger than a human and is the master of knuckle-walking
Our guide to one of our closest relatives – the gorilla, including the difference between the two species, why they're endangered and conservation work.
Blue animals may seem rare, but there's more than you think. From sapphire to indigo here are 24 beautiful blue animals – including birds, frogs and even bees
Discover 24 amazing blue animals – some common, some rare. And there may even be some surprises... blue bee anyone?
Tiny mammal the weight of a sugar cube discovered in Ethiopian highlands – and it's totally new to science
One of the world’s smallest mammals has been discovered - and it weighs just 3g.
BBC Winterwatch is back – but from a new location next to the UK's largest sea lough
Everything you need to know about BBC Winterwatch, including when it's on and how to watch
