Animal Facts
Nail-biting footage from a hiker captures his close encounter with a powerful grizzly mama bear as it stalks him to protect her cubs
Incredible footage captures the moment a massive mama grizzly bear and her cubs approaches a hiker in Alaska.
What is Fat Bear Week and why is everyone so obsessed with it?
For one week each September, Alaskan bears battle it out to be crowned the girthiest grizzly – but why?
This bizarre animal creates its own sunscreen by secreting a waxy substance 40 times more powerful than morphine
It produces a natural sun cream to protect itself from the elements, and also walks rather than hops and has opposable thumbs
Lions vs hippo: Watch tense footage of a hippo running for its life from a pack of hungry lions – will it escape?
Incredible footage captures the moment three fearless juvenile lions launch an attack on a lumbering hippo.
The world’s most dangerous snakes use TWO toxic methods to kill – now scientists have finally uncovered the secret hidden in its fangs
Antivenom doesn’t always work against mamba bites, and scientists have just figured out why.
What's new?
9 terrifying real life animals straight from your nightmares: Bloodsuckers, predators and nature’s most horrifying beasts that strike fear and revulsion
The natural world is full of weird and wonderful creatures, but some animals are the stuff of nightmares...
Supersized animal homes: From ant megacities and termite towers to giant bird nests we take a tour of nature’s mega mansions
From towering termite mounds to colossal bald eagle nests, the natural world is full of astonishing constructions.
15 brutal wildlife photos showing wild animals at their most ferocious
Brutal animals are those defined by their power, aggression, or deadly impact – whether through sheer strength, sharp weapons, or silent disease.
They use tools, fight to the death and live in social groups – and are the closest living relative to humans
Our expert guide to chimpanzees reveals the answers to the most common questions about one of our closest living relatives
Watch terrifying, heart-stopping tense footage of a fierce polar bear mother defending her vulnerable cubs against a dangerous, deadly aggressor
A local tour guide in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, watched on nervously while a determined polar bear tracked a mum and her two vulnerable cubs.
Amphibians
The bizarre paradoxical frog shrinks as it grows up – and could help treat diabetes in humans
This amphibian’s colossal tadpole breaks one of nature's biggest rules and shrinks down into adulthood
“They parasitise their sexually reproducing cousins’ sperm for their own purposes”: Meet the self-replicating sisterhood
These unisexual gene thieves have survived for millions of years by cloning (and sometimes stealing) DNA
It sounds like a chicken, tastes like a chicken and raises its young like a chicken – but it isn't one
Despite its name, the mountain chicken isn't actually a chicken...
Animal ID
10 animals with the wrong names: Discover 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.
How to identify mammal skulls - and work out the creature they once belonged to
Skulls can be found virtually anywhere, but skull identification can be difficult. Learn how to identify common mammal skulls in our expert guide.
How to identify animal droppings: Our guide to the wildlife poop you might find in your garden or out on a walk
Droppings or scats can tell us a lot about which animals have been visiting our gardens, parks and countryside, including hedgehogs, foxes and badgers. Our expert guide explains how to identify which poos belong to which species. Plus, animal droppings from species from around the world – and fungi and insects you might spot on droppings.
Birds
Why does the ‘stink bird’ stink of cow manure?
BBC Wildlife contributor James Parry answers your wild question.
It weighed more than 2 tonnes and holds the record for the largest bird nest in the world
This bird of prey is a master builder, crafting massive stick nests, called aeries, that they return to and expand year after year.
Scientists wore Dick Cheney masks and were mobbed by crows – here’s why
Researchers from the University of Washing found that crows would recognise and harass them – so they conducted an unusual experiment
Fish
It is as long as a cricket pitch, weighs a mighty 30 tonnes (that's three-times the weight of a T-rex) and can live for a century
The whale shark is the world's largest shark and fish species, with a maximum age estimated to be 100 years and it's thought they can reach up to 20 metres in length.
Watch terrifying, close up footage of a great white shark stalking a lone, vulnerable spear fisherman deep in the ocean
Incredible footage shows the moment a lone spearfisher encounters a great white off Sydney, Australia.
Scientists sink lights to bottom of Chicago River. What they find is incredible
Researchers say what they discovered highlights the remarkable recovery of this once heavily polluted waterway on the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois.
Insects & Invertebrates
Why do snails eat paper?
It might not be to our taste but snails seem to like it...
Can spiders really be beautiful? Oh yes... meet the 5 prettiest spiders on the planet, from metallic-blue tarantulas to dancing peacock spiders
We take a look at the most colourful members of the spider family
What's the strongest material produced by animals?
Animals can produce incredibly strong substances - so who makes the toughest?
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
It may look cute but don't be fooled as this pretty little rodent harbours a deadly disease that's lethal to humans
Found in North America, what is the deer mouse and why is it so deadly? We explain more in our species guide.
It's the size of a Labrador and barks like a dog, yet has fangs like a snake and doesn't eat meat. Meet one of the weirdest wild animals on the planet
Discover all you need to know about muntjac deer, including why it has glands on its face
Meet the world's deadliest mouse that can take on highly venomous scorpions - and have them for dinner
Meet the tiny predator that howls at the moon before striking a deadly attack – discover the deadliest mouse in the world.
Marine Animals
Free Willy: When Hollywood’s most famous orca was rescued from captivity he vanished into the ocean – But what happened next?
It looks like a bundled-up sheet of bubble wrap or a weird ball of jelly bubbles and is often found on strandlines – but what on earth is it?
Nazi warheads found off German coast. What's living on them stuns scientists
With the aid of a submersible, researchers found thousands of animals thriving on the abandoned explosives in the Baltic Sea.
Reptiles
What’s the deadliest snake in USA?
The USA is home to around 250 different of snake – but which is the deadliest? The answer lies in the potency of its venom.
Enormous piles of rotting seaweed mount up on Florida beaches – and they're snaring sea turtle hatchlings
Record amounts of sargassum seaweed washing up on the coast of Florida are making it harder for vulnerable sea turtle hatchlings to reach the ocean, new research finds.
It contains the world’s deadliest snake and one of the only venomous mammals – so why does Australia have so much deadly wildlife?
Is the wildlife really more deadly 'down under'? Helen Pilcher takes a look at why Australia has so many dangerous animals