Animal Facts
”He had a habit of causing commotion with visitors. I feel for him – I see him as a friend, I owe the guy!”
The relaxed demeanour and lopsided
‘smile’ of this charismatic macaque belies the struggle of an ailing species.
Can big genitals really be a hindrance?
When big genitals become life threatening
Are there any great white sharks in UK waters?
British seas have temperate waters and lots of seals – perfect conditions for great white sharks. But is the iconic species found here?
Wolves and coyotes look alike, but they’re more different than you might think
Who is America's top dog? We take a look at the differences between wolves and coyotes
3 deadliest octopuses in the world – and one has enough venom to kill dozens of humans within minutes
All octopuses produce venom, but very few are actually deadly. From the lethally infamous blue-ringed octopus to lesser-known species with surprising tactics, discover which octopuses possess potent venom
What's new?
Why do cats purr? It's not just a sign of happiness…
Rae Foreman-Worsley from Cats Protection discusses the mystery behind a cat’s purr
'Ghost moose' footage shows huge, white animal wandering through forest
The videos of the white moose were captured in the Värmland region of Sweden.
Twice a year, this road in Illinois starts crawling with thousands of snakes. Here’s why
This road in southern Illinois is the only known road in the world to close due to reptile migration.
This animal can remain attached to you for as long as a week – until it’s fully engorged with blood – and can leave you with a dangerous, potentially deadly disease
The lone star tick is widespread in the eastern United States and can cause a plethora of diseases.
Scientists set up camera trap in the Amazon – and filmed “something they never dreamed of”
Rare footage shows a baby giant armadillo exploring its surroundings in the Peruvian Amazon
Amphibians
Purple is nature's rarest colour but purple animals do exist: 9 beautiful, incredible purple animals that look like they've been painted
Tiny, rare froglets born at London Zoo in world-first
A group of Afia Birago’s puddle frogs are the first of their species to be born under human care
It’s one of the most destructive, dangerous and deadly animals on earth – meet the highly toxic ‘toadzilla’
The toad is considered one of the world’s most destructive invasive species, after being introduced to countries across the globe as a biological control.
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
Against all odds, a quiet miracle has unfolded in the shadow of industrial chimneys
This is how the trumpeter swan made a comeback after only 69 were left
The world's deadliest-ever eagles, including a 18kg mighty, powerful raptor that terrified New Zealanders until its extinction in the 15th century
For a time, humans may have been on the menu for giant, killer eagles that soared over New Zealand, Australia, and Africa.
”It grabbed one from a stall, then wandered down the street – tentacles dangling from its beak”
We’ve all heard about the mice living in
windmills in old Amsterdam, but what
about the herons in fish markets?
Fish
What on Earth are tautonyms, triple tautonyms – and binomial nomenclature?
A tautonym is an interesting quirk in the naming system of animals, where the words used for the genus and specific names are identical. Learn more about tautonyms, triple tautonyms, binomial nomenclature, and examples of tautonyms.
Scientists found weird animals in the Taiwanese deep-sea – and discovered three new species were hiding among them
The three new species of conger eel raise the number of known Gnathophis species from Taiwan to five.
Just like in the movie Jaws, this great white shark got stuck in a small pond. Here’s what happened next...
When a great white shark got trapped in a shallow saltwater pond in Massachusets, Greg Skomal was called to help. Here’s how the experts tried to free her
Insects & Invertebrates
Symptoms include a haemorrhagic fever which can lead to vomiting blood, blood in faeces and bleeding from the nose and gums. 10 of the most deadly mosquito-borne diseases
Including 1 you might not even know you have...
They're TINY – so how do fleas jump SO high ?
Just how do fleas manage to jump so high? Stuart Blackman explains the power behind the leap
This 99-million-year-old insect had a mouth like a drinking straw, nearly twice as long as its body. Its purpose was even stranger than it looked
Preserved in resin for 99 million years, this insect offers a glimpse into the ecosystems of ancient forests.
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
It's the size of a Labrador dog, incredibly shy and beautiful and built for trees. It's famous for its deadly, flexible jaw that can open at a full 100 degrees
Meet the clouded leopard, a striking jungle predator
There's a rare and very strange animal in the Pyrenees that looks like a tiny, hairy elephant
Webbed feet, a flexible snout and waterproof fur – the curious Pyrenean desman is surely one of Europe's oddest mammals.
There are less than 100 of these apes left in the wild. Scientists just caught them on camera
A new survey of the cao vit gibbon offers a glimpse into the world of this extremely rare animal.
Marine Animals
Hundreds of baby whales are washing ashore dead – and the suspected cause is horrifying
Hundreds of calves have washed up off the coast of Peninsula Valdés since June and scientists are trying to figure out the cause
It’s bigger than the City of London and is home to a whopping 7.5 billion residents – or even more
The largest oyster reef restoration in the world is over three square miles and brings many benefits to the ecosystem
5,000 years ago, these forests drowned. Now they're thriving reefs – home to oysters, sponges, sharks, rays and turtles
Rising seas submerged these forests in Mozambique, now they serve as wildlife hotspots, with similar levels of biodiversity to coral reefs.
Reptiles
"Removing the biggest female we’ve ever caught is very different from removing a tiny snake." Researchers reveal new solution to Florida's invasive python problem
Ecologists have come up with a new solution in South Florida’s ongoing work to remove invasive Burmese pythons.
It's the length of a bathtub, can play dead and has a defensive spray that smells of rotten fish
Discover fantastic facts about Britain's largest native terrestrial reptile in our expert guide by PhD student Steve Allain.
It has iron-coated razor-sharp teeth, weighs the same as a keg of beer and delivers its deadly venom by raking its teeth through its prey’s flesh
Komodo dragons have inspired myths and legends for centuries. We take a look at the fearsome predator
