Insects & Invertebrates
It might look like a beautiful flower but it's actually a deadly predator... Meet a very innocent-looking, cold-hearted mass killer
For pollen-seekinginsects this is one deadly predator
Trap wires, sub-aqua bubbles and a nightmarish 500-metre superweb... 10 weirdest spider webs on the planet – arachnophobes shouldn't read number 3
From the rounded, geometrical-perfection of orb-webs, to the trip wires laid beside trap doors and funnel webs, there is more than one way to trap a fly.
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.
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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...
Purple is nature's rarest colour but purple animals do exist: 9 beautiful, incredible purple animals that look like they've been painted
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.
What on Earth is a Mexican jumping bean? And why and how do they jump?
Did you know Mexican jumping beans are actually caterpillars?
This sloth has moths living in its fur. The reason why is remarkable
Insects provide a whole range of benefits for other animals, including food, shelter, protection and even medicines.
It floats, it's bigger than a dinner plate and it's made up of more than 100,000 individuals
If you saw this circular raft floating down a river you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a discarded deep-dish pizza…
66 million years ago, the dinosaurs died – but ants thrived. Scientists just figured out why
An analysis of ant genomes has revealed how ants achieved species richness.
Butterflies are extremely hard to catch – and scientists just uncovered their secret weapon
Butterfly wings are not just strikingly beautiful – as it turns out, they’re also extremely useful for escaping death.
These are the most dangerous caterpillars in the world – one even contains enough venom to kill a human
Caterpillars might look like harmless, fuzzy little creatures, but some pack a surprisingly dangerous punch
Australian ‘insect detectives’ discover stick insect as long as a toothbrush in Queensland rainforest
A 16cm-long stick insect found in Northern Queensland's Mabi Rainforest in one of two new species revealed in a recent study.
"Those that injured their legs above the femur had their whole legs lopped off." From undertakers to surgeons, 10 strange jobs that keep a colony running
Ants are more than just tiny insects—they even have specialized jobs that rival the human workforce
Two tiny new species discovered with their own built-in front doors – they can close them and shut themselves away
The snails were found in Komarnica Canyon, Montenegro, which is thought to be full of species currently unknown to science
Think your home is free of bugs? Think again! The average US house is home to a whopping 93 different species
We are not alone in our homes
"Prey are suspended in the air in a tangled web of tunnels and trip-wires." 10 most terrifying spider webs built by some of the deadliest spiders on Earth
A web is not just a home to a spider - oftentimes, it's also a trap.
Why jellyfish can still sting when they're dead
Peter Richardson explains how jellyfish are able to sting you even if they're dead
The giant woodlouse that measures 3cm long and lives on the coast
Meet the giant woodlouse (sea slater) that can only survive in the damp zone between land and sea
"But as he matures and the lure of sex calls, he takes risks…"
The pea crab is a small, parasitic pea-sized crab that’s most content living inside its bivalve host. Nick Baker explains more
It looks like it's wearing a sequinned jumpsuit and has a penchant for fighting and getting 'all shook up'
Meet the Elvis worm, a deep-sea creature with iridescent scales, dazzles with its shimmering armour
"The uninvited guest sinks its syringe-like mouthparts into the meaty organ and begins draining it of blood." Discover the gruesome tongue-eating parasite
What’s grosser than gross? A parasite that eats your tongue – and then lives in your mouth, as your tongue. Meet the nightmarish Cymothoa exigua.
"If it were human-sized, its speed would equate to 800kmph – faster than a speeding bullet"
Did you know the fastest insect runs at 2.5m per second? Pretty impressive says David Butvill
