Insects & Invertebrates
"They hide close to where you sleep and feed when the opportunity arises. Once it reaches skin, it uses piercing, sucking mouthparts to draw blood"
All you ever needed to know about the infamous bed bug
"If a person inadvertently touches this larva's bristles, they can suffer massive internal haemorrhaging, renal failure, haemolysis – and even death"
The world's most house-damaging pest has reached Britain before – could it happen again?
Despite their diminutive size, these ant lookalikes are capable of destroying a house, but just how common are termites in the UK?
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What's the loudest spider on Earth? This record-breaking arachnid is so noisy it can be heard by humans
Think spiders are silent? Think again. One species is so loud it can be heard by humans several metres away.
"Its eyestalks pulsate and throb in high-contrast patterns of green, black and red in a light show fit for Mardi Gras..."
Nick Baker takes a look at the fascinating life of a green banded broodsac, which turns snails into disco zombies
This ruthless spider constructs a trap that catapults prey into its web at astonishing speeds
The ballista spider has taken a liking to one specific species of ant and developed a cunning way of hunting it.
"What’s grosser than gross? A parasite that eats your tongue – and then lives in your mouth as your tongue." 7 most disturbing, creepiest parasites in the world...
You might well not want to think too much about some of these...
It looks like it’s infected with a deadly zombie fungus – but the truth is far more sinister
This spider has developed a remarkable ability to mimic a parasitic fungus.
Butterfly vs moth: what's the difference between them - AND just how do you tell what you're looking at?
Many people ask what the difference is between butterflies and moths, but the answer is not as straightforward as most would think, says Butterfly Conservation
Firefly vs glow-worm: what exactly is the difference between these two dazzling creatures?
Wondering what the difference is between glow-worms and fireflies? Here's the answer
“It can live forever & devour prey many times its size, which stand no chance of escape; the more the victim struggles, the more tangled they become”
Nick Baker takes a look at the fascinating hydra
"It delivers the most painful sting in the world, leaving victims in pain for 24 hours." World's 6 deadliest ants, including one that's killed people
Some create millions-strong swarms, while others deliver lethal stings or clamp down on their victims with their jaws
“It survives microwaving and temperatures up to 150ºC and as low as -273ºC.” These 7 biologically bizarre animals are so weird they could be aliens
From a jellyfish that cheats death to a tiny indestructible animal that can survive the vacuum of space, Earth is home to some creatures so biologically bizarre they seem like they shouldn't belong here
They have a tiny penis that gets ripped off after mating
We all know the queen bee is the one bee that produces all the eggs in a hive, but how do these flying insects go about actually mating? The truth is wilder than you might imagine
"They act as a temporary living drain, keeping the skin tissue alive..."
We take a look at why leeches are back in fashion...
“It attacks with a short movement, sucking up the prey with an expansion of its tubular snout.” Meet 8 weirdest, bizarrest animals in Hawai'i
From a squid that projects moonlight to hide from predators to a snake that reproduces by cloning itself, Hawai'i's wildlife is stranger than you'd expect
"Its rear end's equipped with 2 tufts of bristles, each shaped like a grappling hook." The butt that's armed with menacing weapons ready to fire
With its unique, Velcro-like bristles that cling to predators, the tiny Porcupine-Velcro Millipede (Polyxenus fasciculatus) is a master of self-defence in the insect world.
This lethal, hairy assassin has a 7cm leg span and is capable of snatching small fish from the water
The raft spider is one of Britain’s biggest arachnids.
How maggots are able to help solve crimes
Did you know maggots can help solve crime - and even murders? Erica McAlister explains how
What happens when a fly lands on your food? It’s not so much about the fly as where it's been... (poop!)
The time a fly spends stomping around your meal increases the associated health risks, so the natural instinct to swat it away immediately is right on the money.
"Mothers are known to eat their own newborn babies..." 11 gruesome, grisly cannibal animals that feast on their own kind – you won't believe number 3
It may seem gruesome, but many animals have been recorded feeding on their own species. Here are 11 cannibalistic animals, including some that might surprise you.
Biggest scorpion to ever live revealed from 415-million-year-old fossils. It was 1m long and had pincers larger than table knives
These UK fossils have puzzled palaeontologists for more than a century. Now they’ve been re-examined and identified as an ancient scorpion that was larger than a cat
“It carefully measures insect body parts for size, chewing down the ones that don’t fit...” This carnivore decorates its home in bones of its prey
Most caterpillars are herbivorous and spend their lives munching on leaves and vegetation. But not this one – this one is a predator.
“A deeper genetic mystery.” This spider sports a smiley face – and scientists just discovered a new species of it
The happy-face spider was thought to be unique to Hawaii – until now.
