Insects & Invertebrates
Canals were built for industry, but have become a lifeline for endangered species. Here’s why
Britain’s canals were not designed for nature, but for many species they could be what makes survival possible
"To see one, you’ll need to dive into the twilight zone where they float around looking – quite frankly – like a pair of pink, peachy pig’s buttocks"
Meet the pigbutt worm - that looks just like it sounds. Never has a name been so apt...
It lurches from the sand like a coiled spring, snapping its jaws so ferociously they can slice prey in half… 6 terrifying, spine-chilling worms
Prepare for a scare as we take a look at some of the most terrifying worms on the planet.
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Prehistoric insects were absolutely massive. Here's why they needed to be so darn big
Richard Jones explains just why prehistoric insects were so large...
The day weevils hired lawyers and saw the Church in court
Meet the 16th century lawyer who defended weevils in court – centuries before ‘conservation’ existed
Do ants use toilets?
How one species of ant even have toilet attendants...
These giant insects are spreading across Europe. And they're reproducing fast
Boosted by climate change and human activity, these praying mantises have settled in – and are proving to be quite problematic residents.
“It slowly disappears under a writhing mass of earth and ants and is sliced up.” Ravenous insects devour prey alive in BBC clip
Driver ants attack everything unfortunate enough to wind up in their path – and this unlucky slug is in for a tough day.
Scientists have built a tiny diving suit for ‘cyborg cockroaches’. And it could save human lives
The invention comes after a decade of research into cyborg insects – which could be used in search and rescue missions
"As with humans, their greatest enemies are the same species. At the frontier they detect friend or foe by smell and interlopers are repulsed…"
Ants are often a much-overlooked group of insects, but they have fascinating behaviours and adaptations, as entomologist Richard Jones explains.
"This means that those returning in the spring will be the ‘great-great-grandchildren’ of those that left the previous autumn…"
Mike Unwin explores just how far this remarkable butterfly species travels when migrating
It’s bigger than your thumb, has immense jaws and is nicknamed the flying bulldog – Meet the largest bee on the planet
Discover the giant bee of Indonesia.
"It's like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel.” The wasps and bees with the most painful, savage stings on the planet
Not all stings are created equal – explore the bees and wasps whose powerful venoms produce some of the most intense pain ever recorded
“It seizes the victim with large spines, impaling and immobilising the prey…” This ultimate hunter might look like a spider, but don’t be fooled…
In this clip from BBC Earth’s Expedition Guyana, George McGavin explores an extreme habitat underneath a fallen, hollowed-out tree in a Guyana rainforest, and comes across something interesting…
"They eat their hosts from the inside out, using saw-like teeth to chew their way through thick skin." 10 most brutal, savage, parasites on the planet
Lurking in the shadows of many ecosystems are animals whose main motivations are, quite literally, to hijack the bodies of others and eat them from the inside out…
"Multiple stings can cause alarming swelling, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and confusion. An average human would be lucky to survive 1,000 stings"
What makes a slight skin prick, administered by a bee or a wasp, turn into a life-threatening emergency?
If you disturb this critter prepare to be stink-bombed by nasty excretions; a fiendish spray that burns and blinds its prey. It's bite is pretty painful too
Keep an eye out for the beetle with the triple-threat defence.
Why does a bee die after it stings you? And is that the case for all bees?
Just what happens to a bee after it stings you? Why do some species die and some survive?
What do a beetle and an iconic anime character have in common? A lot, apparently
Beetles constitute almost 25% of all known animal species – scientists just discovered two more.
"They found a large, nose-shaped structure, bigger than a Cadillac, inside a house..."
The world’s biggest wasp nest is longer than a Cadillac and shaped like a nose
At 7cm long it's not only the biggest wasp in the world but the deadliest thanks to its 6mm stinger – just how deadly is it?
This giant wasp would not be a welcome guest at your picnic, says Kitty Aldis
Scientists entered a cave on a mysterious Caribbean island, strewn with strange fossils. What they found there was like nothing else on Earth
Bees are known for being incredibly smart – this recent discovery confirms that their ancient counterparts were just as resourceful.
It spans 7m and contains 50,000 scurrying creatures that all work together to take down prey
Living, hunting and raising young together, this social spider forms one of the largest cooperative groups of any arachnid in the world.
“They don’t have the strength – so they’ve turned into a mass killing machine”
In a clip from the BBC’s Evolution, Chris Packham explains how ants have evolved to become efficient hunters
