Animal Facts
“Lifted her enormous foot.” Herd of elephants stomps towards photographer's camera in Kenya, then this happens
A wildlife photographer set up his camera and moved away to give the elephants plenty of space. But the curious herd had other ideas for his camera...
"It has a nasty habit of going on an explosive attack if startled, using sharp claws to rake down their victims' fronts, ripping off faces and gouging out eyes"
If provoked the sloth bear is one of the world's deadliest bears
“She carried her dead baby for 4 days" - do animals need to stare death in the face for closure?
A grieving gorilla and a human theory of loss reveal why witnessing death firsthand may be a crucial – and often denied – part of saying goodbye
Deep-sea explorers film massive animal drifting through darkness in South Atlantic Ocean
The rare giant phantom jelly was spotted during a science expedition off the coast of Argentina.
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
What's new?
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...
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
Amphibians
6 surprising incestuous animals – and why these species prefer to keep it in the family
From wolves to cichlid fish, inbreeding has been observed in a surprising amount of species
Watch amazing, brutal close up BBC footage of male bullfrogs fighting for the right to mate
In this gripping BBC Earth footage, the pond becomes a boxing ring as opponents fight for the prized central position
This extremely rare starlit frog may be slipping into extinction – are wildlife photographers to blame?
Photography tourists are posing a threat to this star-studded frog as they damage its precious habitat.
Animal ID
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
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?
Birds
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.
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.
Fish
How and why do seahorses change colour?
Marine biologist and photographer Matt Doggett answers your wild question.
Do sharks develop a taste for human flesh after a first bite?
Humans aren’t natural prey for sharks and it’s incredibly unlikely that sharks get a taste for humans after a bite
It's 6 metres long, ugly with translucent skin and looks like a goblin with a witch’s nose and has the strangest jaw ever seen. Oh and it lives deep in the ocean too
This jaw-dropping shark is pink, nightmarishly ugly and can slingshot its jaw out of its face when it’s hungry
Insects & Invertebrates
It can be seen from space and contains a staggering two hundred million mounds, each one nine metres across and two and a half metres tall
Are termites the best builders in the business?
“Greater detail than ever before.” Ancient creature found immaculately entombed in amber
The now-extinct animal was one of three species discovered within fossilised tree resin from a museum in Germany.
‘Over the next hour, it’s dispatched, dismantled and butchered, piece by piece.’ This may be the most savage ambush attack we’ve ever heard
Discover a delicate alliance between shrub, fungus and tiny forest guardians in the Amazonian understorey
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
“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
It's as tall as Brad Pitt, weighs 169kg, up to 10 times stronger than a human and is the master of knuckle-walking
Our guide to one of our closest relatives – the gorilla, including the difference between the two species, why they're endangered and conservation work.
It's only 32cm long, yet it can drink alcohol all day long and never get drunk or hungover
Marine Animals
The US Navy detected a strange sound in the ocean. These scientists think it could be coming from the loneliest animal on the planet
Known as the “loneliest whale in the world”, the mystery 52-hertz whale sings at a different frequency from other baleen species – could it be lonely?
“This is no ordinary octopus.” Watch the weird sea creature that can walk on land – wait, what?
This amazing octopus species was only discovered in 2011
Why longer penises make sex safer
When it comes to this species, size is everything as it can affect survival.
Reptiles
Is Harry the lizard real in Death in Paradise? And just what type of lizard is the beloved TV fan favourite?
Is Harry the lizard real in Death in Paradise? What type of lizard is he? We take a look
Why did dinosaurs get so darned big?
Palaeontologist Jon Tennant discusses the reasons behind dinosaurs' colossal size.
Formidable power of crocodiles revealed in staggering slow-motion video
Dramatic footage shows two Nile crocodiles colliding in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.