Stuart Blackman

Recent articles by Stuart Blackman

Harlequin ladybirds emerging on a sunny spring day in the UK. © Ian Redding/Getty

Insects & Invertebrates

Truth or fiction: we should be scared of harlequin ladybirds

Adult swallow at the nest with chicks. © Kaphoto/Getty

Barn swallows evolved alongside buildings

A New Caledonian crow with a stick tool. © Auguste von Bayern

Crafty crows can create tools fit for purpose

Guillemots and eggs in Northumberland, United Kingdom. © Stephan Rech/Getty

Cracking the mystery of the guillemot’s egg

Predation is not an important driver of Rothschild's giraffe grouping. © Ian Forsyth/Getty

Giraffes surprise scientists with their group sizing

New research finds that animals are becoming more nocturnal. © Steve Winter/Getty

Human presence is influencing the behaviour of animals across the globe

Ukari monkeys use their red faces as signs of physiological health © Marc Deville / Getty

Is it just humans that blush?

Psychedelic mushrooms Psilocybe cyanescens. © Nathan Griffith/Getty

Why are some mushrooms magic?

Indonesian speckled carpetshark in Indonesia. © Borat Furlan/Getty

How do sharks manage to swallow without tongues?

Sea urchins (here a brown sea urchin) have provided inspiration for human engineers © Wolfgang Kaehler / Getty

What are sea urchins’ spines made from?

Studies suggest bats play a crucial role in pest control © Nill / ullstein bild / Getty

Just how much do bats help to control pests?

Males throughout the animal kingdom tend to live shorter lives than females. © DeAgostini / Getty Images

Why do females often live longer than males?

Workers help remove oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a laughing gull at the Mississippi Wildlife Response Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, on West Ship Island in Mississippi on Saturday, July 3, 2010. (James Edward Bates/Biloxi Sun-Herald/MCT)
Oil on a bird's feathers leads to flightlessness © James Edward Bates / Biloxi Sun-Herald / MCT / Getty Images

Why is oil so bad for birds’ feathers?

Sea otter swimming on its back in Alaska. © Raffi Machdessian/Getty

Why do otters juggle stones?