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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…
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
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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.
From anal ventilators to boiling, toxic fart machines: 10 weirdest and deadliest bottoms on the planet
From explosive sea cucumbers to beetles that spray boiling toxic fluid from their bums, the world of wildlife is full of unexpected adaptations. These butts aren't just weird – they're life-saving
“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.
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.
“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...
"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 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...
“The first thing to go are the eyes. Eyes, apparently, cook very quickly. Flesh follows soon after, and as the animal becomes overwhelmed, water enters its mouth."
Deep in the Peru Amazon lies one of the world’s most mysterious natural wonders — a river that quite literally boils.
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
Powerful swimmers with massive heads, thick necks, and paws like sledgehammers, these diving big cats hunt below and above the water. Watch them in action
Jaguars are known to be aquatic hunters but some individuals are pushing the limits through new techniques
It’s the size of the Serengeti, hotter than Hades with deadly acid-filed lakes – and is called the Gateway to Hell. This is the closest to another planet you can get
A blistering, otherworldly expanse in northeastern Ethiopia, the Danakil Depression is one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth.
Forget ligers – here are 3 strange, yet real-life, wild hybrid animals that actually exist in the natural world
You’ve probably heard of a liger – a lion-tiger hybrid – but while they are bred in captivity, there are other animals that crossbreed in the wild, thanks to their overlapping habitats and closely related genetics
Can big cats interbreed with each other?
While lions, tigers and their relatives can sometimes interbreed, these rare hybrids reveal as much about the limits of nature as they do about its possibilities.
It's the lowest place on Earth, the size of Seoul, 10 times saltier than the ocean – AND it's dying. One day soon it might not be here...
A vast, otherworldly lake where salt-laden waters buoy swimmers and barren shores stretch into desert, the Dead Sea has long captivated travellers and scientists alike
It's an unforgiving, harsh, remote arid landscape the size of Texas that receives just a few millimetres of rain a year - yet remarkably some wild animals live here...
Harsh, remote and hauntingly beautiful, the Empty Quarter stretches across the Arabian Peninsula in a vast, shifting expanse of dunes and silence
Adorable footage shows giant panda chomping on bamboo in Chinese mountains
These characterful animals can consume several kilos of the plant every hour.
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
