Soft tissue of 40,000-year-old Siberian mammoth offers astonishing glimpse into final moments of its life
For the first time ever, scientists have successfully extracted RNA from a woolly mammoth, with analysis supporting suggestions the Ice Age animal was attacked by cave lions shortly before his death.
Drones spent 8 years flying over Massachusetts waters. What they found could help save one of Earth's biggest animals
The drones' mission was to collect the breath of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay.
Purple is nature's rarest colour but purple animals do exist: Meet 9 beautiful, incredible purple animals that look like they've been painted
The world's first 'terrible lizards'? It might look like a dinosaur but this is a fearsome, deadly prehistoric crocodile that's even older than dinosaurs
Meet a prehistoric ancestor of today's crocodiles
These impressive mammals can sleep for up to half the year – but somehow don’t get weak or stiff. Here's why...
Just how do bears survive hibernating?
Watch dramatic BBC footage shows desperate, ravenous leopard mother risking death for her cubs, high up in the treetops
This incredible BBC Earth footage shows the power and agility of the African leopard
Researchers tag 8 pilot whales in Hawai'i then follow them into the darkness. What they find is "unbelievable"
For the first time, scientists have quantified how many deep-sea squid short-finned pilot whales in Hawaiʻi need to eat to support their deep-diving lifestyle.
Are any snakes poisonous? The answer may surprise you - but here's why...
there are only a few poisonous snakes in the world - although there's plenty of venomous
Scientists drop microphones to Arctic seabed, then 4m-long animals with huge tusks appear
We thought eavesdropping on animals didn't annoy them... until these strange-looking creatures started hitting underwater recording devices.
Can a butterfly fight back before it’s even born? Can it really defend itself in the chrysalis?
Butterflies can defend themselves in their chrysalises, and not just by using camouflage or warning colours.
Birds
Would a flamingo turn blue if it ate blue food?
Could we ever see blue flamingos?
36 extraordinary, astonishing bird facts, including a bird that has killed humans, a bird that likes to get drunk and one that can fly backwards
Impress your friends and family with your newfound bird knowledge.
This bizarre Galápagos bird hunts giant deep-sea squid at night. How it does it is astonishing
Far away in the Galápagos Islands, a peculiar nocturnal seabird is finally starting to give up its secrets
8 craziest, weirdest bird beaks on the planet: Meet the most bizarre beaks in the world – where evolution let its imagination soar
Uncover the secrets behind their extraordinary beaks and what they reveal about their lifestyles.
“They need to find a way of managing land without killing birds of prey” – inside the controversial world of grouse shooting
We go inside the debate on grouse shooting and the perceived benefits of burning heather
300,000 raptors take to the skies in “superhighways” where Europe meets Africa. Here’s what’s going on
Raptors and storks are prize species to spot as thousands of birds take to the skies above the Strait of Gibraltar
How to identify wildlife
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: Think you know how they differ? Think again as the differences between these two squirrels will surprise you
We take a look at how the red squirrel differs to its American grey cousin
Brown rat or water vole: How to tell the difference between these two lookalike-rodents
When all you've seen is a flash of brown fur, it can be hard to know whether it was a water vole or rat. Though the two species tend to live in different habitats, there are areas where they overlap, potentially leading to cases of mistaken identity. So how do you tell rats and water voles apart?
Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?
How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
LRPs, PG Tips and Jizz: Cracking the secret language of birders
You’re sitting in a hide and overhear other birders talking. The conversation ranges from ‘LRPs’ and ‘roosting Leos’ and you scratch your chin as you try to decipher their code – welcome to the world of birding jargon.
It's the fastest animal in the world and its deadly claws can catch prey mid-air: Meet one of the world's most incredible birds of prey
Peregrines are the ultimate urban predator. Learn all about them, including how to spot them ‘stooping’ to catch prey
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Plants
Is this very ordinary plant a secret, yet deadly, meat eater?
The thistle that has a taste for meat
It has bizarre tentacles, oozes yucky black goo and stinks of death – and could be near you right now
The octopus stinkhorn, also known as devil's fingers, is a type of fungus that grows from egg-like spores
A team of scientists spent 4 years studying savannah grasses that had been set on fire – and discovered something astonishing
Researchers from the University of Fort Hare wanted to discover the long-term effects frequent wildfires have on burnt grasses
This is the rarest colour in nature – an expert explains why
The natural world is full of colour – but some are more common than others. So what's the rarest hue?