"It stands on its rock looking not so much like a streamlined submariner as an overfed blackbird"
Known in Welsh as a ‘bird of the torrent’, the dipper is the UK’s only aquatic songbird and always fascinating to watch.
18 ridiculous animal body parts that don’t make any sense (until you learn why...)
Discover the origin and purpose of the structures of living things, from why baboons have swollen bottoms to the comically-large paws of moles.
It's grumpy, looks like it's had a VERY bad hair day, and has formidable jaws that can expand to 12 times their normal size – allowing it to swallow enormous prey
This contender for the fastest-eating fish lures prey with a fin disguised as a worm.
"It terrorised the seas 90 to 80 million years ago just a few million years before its equally ferocious two-legged namesake did the same thing on land..."
It might share its name with the largest meat-eating dinosaur that ever lived, but this isn’t the T.rex we all know and recognise…
They ate this potato relative in a salad – then lost their minds for 11 days
Potatoes are a kitchen staple – but one of their botanical cousins has a much darker reputation.
A once-decimated creature is returning to New York’s waterways. Now scientists are collecting its DNA
New York Harbour once boasted massive wild oyster populations – but intensive harvesting and harbour pollution led to the collapse of the reefs
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.
Microplastics found in testicles, kidneys, livers, placentas, and even a toddler's poo... how worried should we be?
Are microplastics actually in our brains, and how worried should we be about it?
"They jump 20ft from ledge to ledge, climb slopes at up to 15mph and even turn mid-air…" Meet the world's best climbers for whom gravity just gets in the way
These animals scale their heights with no ropes or harnesses.
Researchers tested the cognitive ability of apes – and it could change the way we think of intelligence
Scientists may have been asking the wrong questions about ape intelligence
Birds
Do birds pee as well as poo?
When it comes to excretions, birds do a two-for-one deal
8 astonishing close-up photos of the world’s most beautiful pheasant
Resplendent in red, gold and blue, the male of this spectacular species sports a crest like a barrister’s wig – even if it leaves him with massive blind spots
What is a chicken wishbone – and why on Earth do people fight over it?
Just how useful is a wishbone to a chicken? Find out with our expert guide
These tiny birds are doubling in size on remote Scottish islands – and are on their way to “becoming a new species”
Isolated on remote Scottish islands, tiny wrens have recently been discovered to be a fascinating case of island gigantism.
Do any birds have teeth?
Why don't birds have teeth? And did they ever have teeth? Stuart Blackman explains
What's the world's biggest parrot? There are two contenders: one has a massive 1m wingspan and the other weighs a whopping 3kg
Meet two giant birds fighting for the title of world's biggest parrot.
How to identify wildlife
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: Think you know how they differ? Think again as the differences between these two squirrels will surprise you
We take a look at how the red squirrel differs to its American grey cousin
Brown rat or water vole: How to tell the difference between these two lookalike-rodents
When all you've seen is a flash of brown fur, it can be hard to know whether it was a water vole or rat. Though the two species tend to live in different habitats, there are areas where they overlap, potentially leading to cases of mistaken identity. So how do you tell rats and water voles apart?
Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?
How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
LRPs, PG Tips and Jizz: Cracking the secret language of birders
You’re sitting in a hide and overhear other birders talking. The conversation ranges from ‘LRPs’ and ‘roosting Leos’ and you scratch your chin as you try to decipher their code – welcome to the world of birding jargon.
It's the fastest animal in the world and its deadly claws can catch prey mid-air: Meet one of the world's most incredible birds of prey
Peregrines are the ultimate urban predator. Learn all about them, including how to spot them ‘stooping’ to catch prey
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Plants
"The cones are as big as a rugby ball and weigh up to 40 pounds, more than heavy enough to kill…”
You don’t want to get too close to this tree – it’s not toxic, but it’s still deadly.
“An agonising way to die: it causes whole body convulsions, and the victim is painfully and horribly aware…”
Also called the Asian vomit button tree, the strychnine tree contains one of nature’s deadliest poisons, famously featured in many mystery novels.
The ocean's hidden, deadly killer: Why thriving seas can suddenly die and turn into mass underwater graveyards
Suffocated ecosystems, seizures and death: how deadly algae can wreak havoc on beaches around the world – and what can be done to prevent it
It spans nearly 5 acres, grows on competitors and has a habit of strangling its host
Seeds of the banyan tree are small and unlikely to survive on the ground – but it’s found a way to thrive anyway.
