
Sneaky tricks, killer toxins and exploding penises: Evolution’s 7 wildest battles for supremacy and survival
Evolutionary war drives ingenuity at every scale, says Jules Howard

The world’s deadliest rat that's poisonous enough to kill an elephant, a mouse that hunts venomous scorpions – The 9 weirdest rodents on the planet
Not all rodents are rats eating out of rubbish bins – these fascinating creatures from around the world show there's a lot more to rodents than meets the eye, from rainbow squirrels to prairie dogs

Just how on Earth are ibex able to scale vertical, sheer cliff faces?The secrets behind their seemingly impossible climbs
The Alpine ibex's amazing climbing ability is all down to its feet

A 'vampire' deer, the grumpiest cat, a bearded vulture – meet Mongolia's strangest animals
Cazenove+loyd's private expeditions can help you see the world's most elusive creatures

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’s a slimy, brainless creature that stalks prey, navigates mazes and creates elaborate transport networks more efficient than our own
These tiny microorganisms come together to create large, multicellular networks capable of navigating mazes and re-routing transport networks…

Can whales and dolphins crossbreed?
Interbreeding between different cetacean species is extremely rare but has been known to happen

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...

What's the biggest monkey in the world? Clue – it comes equipped with fearsome canine teeth that are amongst the longest of any primate
Meet the world's most colourful primate

Birds

“At the height of the breeding season, the males perform this routine in sessions lasting three or four hours.”
The courtship displays of this game bird bring a flurry of flamboyance to its monotonous prairie home

Ginormous king penguin colony filmed on remote Atlantic island. The sound of it is ear-splitting
Listen to the remarkable sound of thousands of penguins calling to each other in South Georgia.

"It has huge back legs armed with dagger-like claws that can reach 12cm long." 10 bonkers birds that break the rules of nature
Discover the extraordinary birds that defy nature’s norms.

“Viewers have been absolutely hooked.” Over 100,000 tune in to watch rare New Zealand parrot raising her chicks
Reality TV meets conservation – Kākāpō Cam is the most heartwarming thing you'll see all day.

It weighs as much as a piano and is nearly as tall as a basketball hoop: The 10 biggest, heaviest birds on the planet
You wouldn’t want to find these beasts at your bird feeder…

It builds skyscraper cities full of cosy, egg-shaped hammocks 30 metres above the ground
If Coco Chanel gave the common blackbird a makeover, the result would be the oropendola. With a minimalist colour palette and an occasional pop of colour, these mid-sized birds ooze chic simplicity.
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

Stunning wildflower 'superbloom' sweeps through Death Valley. It's the best display in a decade
The hottest place on the planet has transformed into a sea of colour, as desert gold and notch-leaf phacelia flowers fill the valley floor.

Do plants sleep?
When the sun goes down, some flowers appear to tuck themselves in for the night.
But this curious habit is actually driven by a fascinating piece of plant science.

“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

It's as big as a tractor tyre and smells like a rotting corpse
Why the biggest flower in the world is also the smelliest...
