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
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“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
"I would wonder if I was just seeing things.” Scientists make illuminating discovery in South Carolina swamp
Researchers in Congaree National Park have uncovered how fireflies synchronise their bioluminescent light shows.
Devoured, paralysed, enslaved: The alien-like horror that drills inside and turns its victim into a very sinister, nursery
Discover a sinister creature that is like an alien character from Star Trek
It not only eats its victim from the inside out, it also uses a biological weapon to paralyse it and turn it into a zombie
The creepy parasite that uses a biological weapon to take control f its host
"Raiding parties are the soldiers, bearing enormous heads armed with long, scissor-like mandibles capable of dismantling prey piece by piece..."
This is definitely an army that marches on its stomach...
Why on Earth do we say 'bees knees' - and for that matter do bees even have knees?
Just where did the saying 'bees knees' come from? And why do we say it? Richard Jones investigates
It looks like bird poop, is armed with a deadly projectile weapon and imitates ‘perfume’ to lure prey
The spider that looks like bird poo and sports a lethal hunting weapon
"It causes confusion, comas, and extreme daytime sleepiness and without treatment, it is generally fatal" 10 deadliest, most terrifying parasites on the planet
They may be microscopic but that doesn't mean they can't be lethal. Leoma Williams takes a look at the deadliest parasites in the world, from a zombie fungus to a worm that emerges from your foot
Bumblebee queens can survive underwater for an entire week. How they do it is incredible
The bumblebees avoid drowning by combining underwater gas exchange with anaerobic metabolism, according to a new study.
9 brutal insect photos that show how these ruthless predators sting, swarm and devour their prey
These incredible images demonstrate the brutality of the creepy crawly and how they can overpower prey
Do spiders talk to each other?
We take a look at how spiders communicate with each other
"If it reaches the nervous system it can cause meningitis – meaning headaches, nausea, vomiting, fever..." A deadly parasite that could be in your garden
How one slimy garden pest can make you ill
“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
“Far more than pollinators.” New James Cameron-backed TV series shows bees can build structures – and even eat meat
Take a ‘bees-eye view’ of this incredible, yet often overlooked, insect with TV series Secrets of the Bees
It’s up to 40 miles wide, contains billions of creatures and can take 20 years to form – is this nature’s most destructive swarm?
In astonishing footage from Planet Earth, swarms of desert locusts decimate vegetation
Dance, pluck… then paralyse: the riskiest date night in nature
When it comes to surviving a potentially deadly mating, it helps to have a plan
It has hairy legs and flies with its tongue poking out – and it could be in a garden near you
Meet the well-named hairy-footed flower bee.
It’s the size of a small apartment, contains hundreds of rooms growing crops, and is home to more than a million farmers
We’re not the only animals that farm; ants do it too, cultivating vast quantities of fungus to feed their growing colonies…
It glows like a fire, looks like an autumn leaf and has just awoken from its winter slumber. Now it's on the hunt for food
Meet the eye-catching comma – one of the UK's first butterfly species to appear in spring.
It's a metre across and laced with tunnels and chambers – yet built entirely from a million individuals who spend their lives constantly on the move...
Few species of ants are more well-drilled than army ants; these disciplined drones live and die at the behest of their female leaders…
The adorable tree bumblebee is stirring from its winter slumber – and it's hungry
The tree bumblebee is one of the first bumblebee species to appear in spring.
