Nick Baker
TV presenter and naturalist
Television wildlife presenter Nick Baker has travelled to the wildest parts of the planet in search of weird, bizarre and incredible creatures. Nick writes a monthly Hidden World column in BBC Wildlife Magazine where he shares wildlife stories from around the globe.
Recent articles by Nick Baker
"He is now in full battle dress – a livery to match his mood – and aggressively defends his little patch"
Did you know bullhead fish can sing? Yes really if love's around ... Nick Baker takes an in-depth look at this fascinating fish
The giant woodlouse that measures 3cm long and lives on the coast
Meet the giant woodlouse (sea slater) that can only survive in the damp zone between land and sea
"But as he matures and the lure of sex calls, he takes risks…"
The pea crab is a small, parasitic pea-sized crab that’s most content living inside its bivalve host. Nick Baker explains more
How this bird changes colour almost overnight without moulting – the truth is truly remarkable
The male chaffinch has a clever trick for making its plumage seem brighter come spring says Nick Baker
"Imagine a small chipolata sausage to which some joker has tastelessly attached a mole cricket" 12 weirdest insects on the planet
The insect world is definitely a weird one - and there are some that are even weirder than the others. Discover some of the world's strangest and bizarrest insects
"They have the ability to supercool. They lower the freezing point of fluids in their cells, so that ice crystals don’t form"
Nick Baker takes a look at one of our toughest and fascinating winter insects, the snow flea
"Its head, thrashing left and right, sports 4 black eyes and 6 furtive, fleshy feelers that suggest the whiskers of a Chinese dragon puppet
In muddy estuaries live secretive worms with special ways of pulling edible morsels into their lairs. Meet the ragworm
It drills through shells with a cocktail of acid and enzymes – then liquefies its victim inside their own home
If you're visiting a sandy beach you may like to reflect on something that might be going on below your feet. Lurking behind the veil of wet sand, a killer is on the prowl. A driller-killer, no less. Let me introduce you to the moon snail
He uses his enormous neck to show off and wrestle rivals – she uses hers to weave an intricate cradle for her one, precious egg
This curious species of long-necked
beetle is unique to Madagascar
It looks like a woodlouse, but is the size of a pet cat and has an impressive 14 legs – and can take on a shark if desperate…
Nick Baker takes a look at the super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean: the giant isopod
"You’ll see a beautiful, delicate, glassy animal. The whole body is encased in a transparent hinged ‘clamshell’ arrangement…"
Nick Baker takes a look Daphnia pulex and how its reproduction strategy helps future generations survive
Meet Britain’s very own tarantula – the purse-web spider, complete with huge fangs
Does Britain have tarantulas? Yes says Nick Baker, or at least a spider that belongs to the same family. Meet the purse-web spider
"What dangles from its rear end needs some explaining, though…"
When it comes to wooing a female, size matters for this colourful moth
"The attack is fast and deadly accurate: the goo fires from the tips of their fangs at a speed of around 30m per second…"
Nick Baker takes a look at the behaviour of the spitting spider
"Once they near emergence, the female's thin skin bulges and pulsates with the struggles of the impatient offspring within…"
Discover the Surinam toad, a weird South American frog whose young erupt from the mother’s back
"Some weigh up to a massive 300kg and can grow to be 1.3m long…" Where do giant tortoises live and why on Earth are they so big?
Nick Baker explains how giant tortoises became - well - giant
"Their most obvious function is for digging, used like bulldozer buckets to shift and shovel the mud into shape and create their home…"
Nick Baker takes a look at the life of a mud scud?
They have a bizarre sex life as each beast have both male and female organs – leading to confusing orgies and extraordinary mating chains developing…
Nick Baker takes a look at the life of a sea hare
It's the size of a Labrador and barks like a dog, yet has fangs like a snake and doesn't eat meat. Meet one of the weirdest wild animals in the world
Discover all you need to know about muntjac deer, including why it has glands on its face
It looks like a big earthworm – but this is no ordinary worm. It has teeth, tentacles, a pseudo penis – and can pop its own eyes out of its head
Don't be fooled this is not an ordinary worm …
"The whole process, from bluff to capture, is faster than a human eye can perceive – game over in less than 30 milliseconds." Tentacled snake is stuff of nightmares
Nick Baker, the popular naturalist, author and TV presenter reveals a secret realm of overlooked wildlife
It looks like a bundled-up sheet of bubble wrap or a weird ball of jelly bubbles and often washes up on beaches – but what on earth is it?
"It will slowly consume their host from the inside-out, leaving only the essential organs, to keep the surrogate womb ticking over…"
Life gets pretty grim for a caterpillar if it becomes infected with a parasitic wasp says Nick Baker? Who says zombies aren't real?
It looks like a friendly garden bird, sings like one too – but it's one of the most toxic creatures alive
Just how poisonous is the hooded pitohui?
