Animal Facts
It looks like a squat, cuddly little bear, chirps like a bird and has webbed feet for swimming – meet the very rare and bizarre wild dog that's like no other
“This bizarre egg-laying animal looks like a cross between a duck and a beaver” – 10 prehistoric ‘living fossil’ animals still alive today
eet the ‘living fossils’ that look just like their ancient ancestors and give us an idea of what life on Earth may have been like millions of years ago…
8 smartest primates on Earth – Just how do they measure up against us humans?
From tool-using chimpanzees to puzzle-solving capuchins, the primate world is packed with surprising brainpower. But how do the planet’s cleverest monkeys and apes really compare with human intelligence
How did eyes evolve? The bizarre story behind your vision and why octopuses are truly the greatest of all life-forms
The incredible story of our vision
"If it reaches the nervous system it can cause meningitis – meaning headaches, nausea, vomiting, fever..." A deadly parasite that could be in your garden
How one slimy garden pest can make you ill
What's new?
It builds skyscraper cities full of cosy, egg-shaped hammocks 30 metres above the ground
If Coco Chanel gave the common blackbird a makeover, the result would be the oropendola. With a minimalist colour palette and an occasional pop of colour, these mid-sized birds ooze chic simplicity.
"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
"They have been seen to use use sticks as weapons against humans, and clean their ears with grass" – 11 animals that use tools in surprising and clever ways
It is not just humans that regularly use tools to solve problems and make our lives easier. Other animals do it too!
“These beacons of light in the mud do so much more than promise us brighter days ahead.”
The first signs of spring aren’t just beautiful – they’re essential to awakening wildlife, too
In a remote town in Nepal, huge armoured creatures shuffle past restaurants and snooze on lawns. Here’s what’s going on
Rhino numbers are on the rise in southern Nepal and now these powerful animals are moving into town
Amphibians
“The sight of them writhing around in slippery foam will stay with me for a while.” This mating ritual could be Earth’s weirdest
Female Japanese tree frogs produce foam-like nests to lay eggs in – and things soon turn into a slippery mess
“It secretes a matcha-coloured substance from its anal gland that smells of rotting flesh.” This animal is insanely good at faking death
Whether it’s to deter predators or to avoid mating, plenty of animals fake their own death
It's as long as a bicycle, weighs the same as a German shepherd dog, is slightly creepy looking – and cries like a baby when removed from water
The giant salamanders of the Far East are by far the biggest amphibians in the world - but which one is king of all?
Animal ID
Mountain chicken, guinea pig, honey bear, bearcat – 10 animals with completely the wrong names, misleading monikers and curious cases of mistaken identity
Common names for animals are often easier to remember than their Latin names, but they can often lead to confusion. Here are 10 animals with some very misleading names.
A snake the weight of a grizzly bear and a giant centipede that hangs from cave ceilings – meet 11 of the Amazon's deadliest animals
From a huge carnivorous centipede to a tiny poisonous frog, here are some of the of the deadliest creatures in the Amazon.
It's sleek, black, incredibly beautiful and very fast – and is known as the 'cheetah of the deep sea' despite weighing over a tonne
Learn all about the unmistakable pilot whale, from their diet and size to life in the pod and why, sadly, they're prone to beaching
Birds
“Our guide told us there was a bear cave 300m away. We didn’t take him seriously. It was a miracle we survived”
Boris Belchev on birds, batteries and battling bears with pop music
“At first, we were puzzled.” Scientists track 69 ravens through Yellowstone – and make remarkable discovery
The researchers wanted to find out exactly how ravens find wolf kills in the US national park.
Fiery eyes, fluffy 'horns' and a strange hoot – meet one of Britain's most mysterious predators
Long-eared owls are one of the most secretive birds in Britain.
Fish
This river giant can grow over 1m long, weigh more than 5kg and lay an astonishing 500,000 eggs
Meet the mighty northern pike.
436-million-year-old fossil found in South China is oldest complete bony fish ever discovered
The discovery of two ancient fish in South China has re-written what we thought we knew about the evolution of early vertebrates.
No that's not a golf ball on its head – one man-made very weird species...
Discover on of the world's weirdest fish that was entirely man made.
Insects & Invertebrates
“Far more than pollinators.” New James Cameron-backed TV series shows bees can build structures – and even eat meat
Take a ‘bees-eye view’ of this incredible, yet often overlooked, insect with TV series Secrets of the Bees
It’s up to 40 miles wide, contains billions of creatures and can take 20 years to form – is this nature’s most destructive swarm?
In astonishing footage from Planet Earth, swarms of desert locusts decimate vegetation
Dance, pluck… then paralyse: the riskiest date night in nature
When it comes to surviving a potentially deadly mating, it helps to have a plan
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
“My stomach lurched as the hippo drifted in our direction, only her pink, sweaty face visible – like a shark’s fin.”
Oscar was on a river safari in Niger when one mother hippo began to approach the boat
Huge carnivores are roaming the streets of this Ethiopian city. What they're doing could be saving people $100,000 USD per year
In the city of Mekelle, hyenas and other urban scavengers are helping save the waste disposal sector money while also curbing carbon emissions, new study finds.
Why cats have slit-shaped pupils, why some cats roar and some purr and the feline that can leap 9 metres – 19 wild cat facts that will boggle your mind
From cheetahs that can hit 94kmph to snow leopards that wrap their tails like scarves, the world of wild cats is full of unexpected quirks. Here are 10 facts about wild cats you (probably) won't know
Marine Animals
Explosive power of great white shark revealed in staggering slow-motion video
These huge sharks can leap 3m out of the water – that's as high as a school bus!
It's as long as a basketball court, as tall as a giraffe and so huge it can be seen from space
Experts estimate that the massive mega coral – found near the Solomon Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean – is about 300 years old.
"Can you imagine being chased by an apex predator?” Tourists watch incredible escape in Antarctica
Tourists were stunned when a pair of orcas tried to hunt a gentoo penguin alongside their ship. Here’s what happened next.
Reptiles
There is only one place on Earth where crocodiles and alligators live together in the wild – and it's here
Can crocodiles and alligators co-exist in the wild? The answer is yes – but there is only one place on the planet where this happens.
Snakes are hanging from cave ceilings on this Caribbean island. They're waiting for something
Measuring up to two metres in length, the Puerto Rican boas lower their long bodies into the darkness and wait...
Can a human outrun a crocodile? Just how fast are these deadly, ferocious reptiles?
Just how fast are crocodiles?
