Animal Facts
"It's highly territorial and if one of their 192 tentacles come into contact with neighbouring individuals they become extremely hostile"
Discover seven fascinating facts about the beadlet anemone in our expert guide by Buglife.
Scientists looked inside a bee hive. What they saw is remarkable
Researchers wanted to learn more about the insect's famous 'waggle dance'. Here's what they found.
21 stunning wildlife photos from Grand Teton National Park
From majestic moose and soaring eagles to curious owls and bounding bears, here are 21 spectacular wildlife images captured in the US national park.
It’s made up of 1,000 miles of tunnels and was once thought to be the gateway to the underworld – but remains largely unexplored
In Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, hundreds of uncharted caves sprawl underneath the ground
“It produces a boiling-hot, caustic chemical that sprays with an audible pop.” The 10 weirdest animal weapons in the world
Some animals have claws, some have antlers and some razor-sharp teeth. But a few weapons are decidedly weirder than others…
What's new?
A zookeeper went to a former penal colony in Australia only to find it overrun with adorable wombats
A convict settlement in a past life, Maria Island is now a sanctuary for endangered species. Ross Gurden heads there in search of wombats
Are these the saddest animals on the planet? Meet the 10 loneliest animals on Earth
Learn about the animals that were the very last of their kind
Breathtaking footage shows diver's close encounter with the world's biggest octopus
The giant Pacific octopus is so enormous its arms could wrap around a small car.
“Staring menacingly, the buffaloes encircled our vehicle.” My close encounter with a mega-stampede
In a quiet corner of Africa a dramatic and dusty spectacle unfolds with the arrival of megaherds of buffaloes
Great crested grebe seen drowning and eating chiffchaffs in Spain
Birdwatcher and photographer Juan Montiel captured the unusual grebe behaviour on camera.
Amphibians
A fiery belly, jagged crest and long, broad tail – this may be the closest thing to a real-life dragon
Male great crested newts are at their most dragonesque in spring.
When scientists descended into an unexplored cave in the Cambodian mountains, they found a “treasure trove” in the darkness
A team of researchers discovered species new to science, as well as threatened wildlife, in these vast underground habitats
“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
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
It's as big as a Ford Fiesta, as heavy as a polar bear and can contain more than 200 ‘apartments'
Their nests are not only as large as a car, but often built in the weirdest of places...
"They can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone." 11 bonkers, rule-breaking birds that can't fly
There are some birds that can't take to the sky, despite having wings. Discover 10 curious and wonderful birds that have lost the ability to fly
“The ejaculation helmet was born.” Researchers built a “hat of condoms” in bid to save world’s heaviest parrot
A YouTube video of Sirocco the kākāpō attempting to mate with a human's head has been viewed millions of times – but he's since become a global icon representing New Zealand's endangered species
Fish
Florida's 'spinning' sawfish were in trouble. Now, scientists think they may have hope
An area of the Indian River Lagoon in Florida may be providing suitable habitat for juvenile smalltooth sawfish, suggesting there is hope for the recovery of the critically endangered species.
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.
Insects & Invertebrates
“Effects range from internal bleeding to manipulating behaviour or liquifying a host.” These are the deadliest weapons in the animal kingdom
Powerful punches. Flesh-tearing teeth. Deadly talons. We explore the best (or is it the worst?) weapons in the natural world.
Why do some animals find poop so tasty?
It might not be our choice of a tasty snack but for some animals it is as good as chocolate
There's a tropical island in the middle of the Panama Canal that's home to a bright pink animal with an astonishing trick
Researchers on Barro Colorado Island say the animal changes colour from pink to green. And they think they know why
Mammals
Fascinating facts about our warm blooded friends - the mammals.
“Here, ‘weirdness’ abounds. One creature seemingly has the beak of a duck, the body of an otter and the tail of a beaver.”
Why does Australia have so many weird species that go against evolutionary norms? Helen Pilcher takes a look
It’s not a pig and it’s not from Guinea – and it’s bolder, riskier and more sociable than your childhood pet
Guinea pigs do exist in the wild – but they're not like the ones you might have looked after at home...
Under cover of darkness, a huge animal lumbers up a rocky track before descending into a cave and navigating 150 metres of pitch black to reach its prize
When not comes to finding the essential salt they need Savannah elephants have to go on a dangerous journey
Marine Animals
"It doesn’t have much to smile about with fewer than ten remaining." 10 of the world’s rarest whales and dolphins teetering on the brink of extinction
We take a look at the cetaceans on the brink of extinction
“It’s a bit like sea turtle forensics." Scientists looked inside 24 turtles – and uncovered secrets from the past
Sea turtle shells are helping researchers learn more about major environmental changes in the ocean's past.
“They bore the marks of an attack, including rib fractures, internal haemorrhages and specific teeth marks.” 5 animals that kill excessively – seemingly just for fun
Some animals have been observed to kill prey but not eat it – which is known as surplus killing. Meet the creatures that take part in it
Reptiles
Biologists stuck a camera on a sea turtle – and it filmed this
TurtleCams are helping marine researchers learn more about the lives of sea turtles as they cruise through our seas.
Crocs on jet skis and kayaks: why Florida’s huge apex predators are coming out of the water and sunbathing in unlikely places
Animals sunbathe for a variety of surprising reasons – resulting in some unusual sights
The world’s largest reptile is a deadly apex predator that’s 5 metres long and weighs half a tonne
The saltwater crocodile is a huge apex predator that you definitely wouldn't want to encounter
