Stuart Blackman

Recent articles by Stuart Blackman

The White Bellbird is the loudest bird

What’s the loudest bird?

A rock hyrax, with brown fur, perched on a light orange coloured rock.

How male rock hyraxes woo their potential mates

S+ S+ Close-up of an organically raised, free range hen, with defocussed meadow grass in the background.

Can you hypnotise a chicken?

The decline in greenfinch numbers has been linked to an outbreak of trichomonosis. © Tom Meaker/EyeEm/Getty

Bird disease spread by garden bird feeders

Isopod against a black background.

Isopods found to fertilise seaweed in our oceans

The death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is famous for the human skull on its thorax. The moth species features in horror movie Silence of the Lambs and on the film cover art. © Robin Bush/Getty

How death’s-head hawkmoths navigate long distances

Hermit crabs

Hermit crabs: all you need to know from how they choose their shell to what they eat

An incredible species that literally 'swims' through sand, burrowing to depths of several metres in the blink of an eye. This individual was found warming itself on cool desert sands in the morning sun.

Why burrowing desert animals don’t inhale sand

Jumping spider (Evarcha arcuata). © ljphoto7/Getty

Do jumping spiders dream?

Bowhead-whale_Michael-Nolanrobertharding_Getty-Canada_623-5000f4b

Why do bowhead whales have such large heads?

A southeast Greenland polar bear on glacier, or freshwater, ice. © Thomas W Johansen/NASA Oceans Melting Greenland

Polar bear population hunts without sea ice

Diamondback rattlesnake coiled on a dirt road.

The origin of pieces: 13 amazing ways animals have evolved

Bumblebee on a blooming linden flower.

Why do we find dead bumblebees under lime trees?

Dog yawning in sunlight

Can animals catch yawns off humans?

Crown shyness, where tree branches don't overlap. © Jordan Lye/Getty Images

Biological terms glossary: definitions, with examples