
It's nearly 1.5 metres wide and 55cm high and houses one of the longest, most venomous animals in the world
Romulus Whitaker explains why and how the impressive king cobra snake build their nests

Is the purple kneed tarantula from Paddington in Peru actually real? Meet the real-life creepy-crawlies found in the jungles of South America
In the depths of the Peruvian jungle, the Brown family encounter the purple-kneed tarantula. But does it actually exist?

They're tiny. They're fast. And they're very deadly. Meet 10 smallest birds of prey on the planet
You might think birds are all big with huge wingspans - but think again...

How to access five hidden wildlife havens in 2026 — and spot rare species
Adventure on your own terms

Rare tiger caught on camera trap among 24 incredible photos from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Awards
A snoozing sloth, dolphin superpod and young pangolin are all celebrated in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People’s Choice Award 2026

"Sleeping the day away, these furry tree-huggers are only awake for 6 hours a day." The 10 laziest animals on the planet
From fish and reptiles to primates and birds, for some species, lethargy may be the key to survival.

It’s the oldest individual living creature in the world, survives at 400m deep underwater and uses its ‘foot’ to move along the seafloor
A slower pace of life is behind the longevity of the world’s oldest ever animal, the ocean quahog

“She’s trying to hit it with the camera!” Researchers attached a camera to a baby chimp – and recorded something incredible
The chimpanzee was being studied to see if it could detect dangers in the wild

Back from the dead: meet 10 incredible animals once thought extinct
Feel-good stories are rare in animal conservation, but these ‘back from the dead’ species are a cause for celebration.

Scientists went into an ancient cave in New Zealand and found a 'lost world' hiding within
Fossils of birds and other animals unearthed from the cavern provide a "missing volume" in New Zealand’s natural history, say researchers.

Birds

Australian officials declared war on this giant bird after it destroyed crops. But even machine guns couldn’t stop it
In 1932, Australia declared war on 20,000 emus – and lost. This is the incredible story of the Emu War

“We may get close someday.” Genetic engineers are working to bring the dodo back from extinction – and it may save existing wildlife on Mauritius
Back in 2022, the dodo's genome was sequenced from a DNA sample. Now the company trying to resurrect the long-extinct flightless bird is working with Mauritian conservationists to restore habitat ready for eventual re-wilding.

“The resilience is extraordinary.” A gosling chick must plunge 400 feet down a rocky cliff – just hours after being born
In tense footage captured by the BBC, a barnacle gosling must leap from a cliff edge to its parents below. Will it make it?

Caught, plucked, and kept ALIVE: Does this deadly predator take ruthlessness to a new level, inflicting a fate worse than death on its prey?
Do Eleonora’s falcons cach migrant birds alive to eat later?

Villagers in Mozambique talk to birds to help them hunt. How they do it is amazing
In an astonishing parallel to how human language evolves, communities in Mozambique use different ‘dialects’ to coordinate cooperation with wild birds.

“It will perish.” A penguin chick has a lucky escape from being crushed to death. Then disaster strikes
In footage filmed for the BBC's Penguins: Meet the Family, a chick gets separated from its parent – will they reunite?
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

It's the size of 3 Central Parks in New York, could be 8,650 years old – and glows in the dark. Forget the blue whale this beast is the world's biggest organism
This humongous fungus is the biggest organism in the world

"Ingestion can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, encephalopathy, and death" – 10 deadliest poisons found in nature
The natural world has produced some of the most potent poisons known to science. Here are some of the deadliest to humans

This ancient plant helped scientists solve a homicide investigation. This is how
A team of researchers have demonstrated how moss can act as a forensic ‘fingerprint’ when confirming details about a crime

"Poisoning causes lung collapse, brain haemorrhage and death" – discover the world’s 10 most poisonous, deadliest plants
There is an incredible number of dangerous and deadly plants around the world. here are just 10, including some with the ability to kill