What on Earth?

Detachable, autonomous penis arms – need we say more?

As soon as you scratch the surface, the weirder and weirder bivalves get.

In some places, it's estimated that up to 70% of beach sand has gone through the guts of parrotfish.

Get to know some of the largest dinosaurs to have ever walked the planet. 

Whale sharks can be huge. But even experts aren’t entirely sure just how big they can get.

They could beat a horse in a race and survive a blizzard.  No challenge is too big for these record-breaking butterflies.

Scientists have only just begun to reveal what the lives of giant and colossal squid are like in the past two decades.

Which is bigger, an anaconda or a python? Discover some of the world's giant snakes.

Just how big was megalodon and could this giant predator still be lurking in the dark depths of the ocean?

Life has found very clever ways to survive in the most extreme places.

It may look like it’s fallen to Earth from space, but the star-nosed mole is perfectly adapted to its wet soil habitats.

Explore impressive adaptations animals have evolved for coping with sub-zero temperatures.

Get the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about these fascinating, slithering reptiles.

Electric eels are like living batteries, but how does their amazing electric-shock ability work?

Meet the fish with many faces: famous inflatables, fatal poisoners and even romantic artists.

These characterful creatures also have amazing regeneration abilities.

Find out why dung beetles eat poo and how some use the Sun and stars when they travel.

It’s believed that biofluorescence helps the birds to stand out or hide in their tropical forest habitats.

Discover how some species effectively use their colourful wings to deter predators.

Meet some of the brightest and boldest creatures in the animal kingdom, where colour is a matter of life and death.

Take a look at these photos and see whether millions of years of evolution will outwit you.

While we humans associate pink with romance, in the natural world it can be a warning or part of an elaborate disguise.

The colour of sunlight, gold and daffodils, yellow is often associated with warmth and optimism.  

Discover the fascinating, gelatinous world of jellyfish, from painful stings to brilliant bioluminescence. 

Snakebite is one of the world’s deadliest neglected health issues. But what does venom actually do to you?

Have you ever seen a cobra spit venom in super slow motion?

Meet some of the animals whose search for a mate may actually be physically painful.

Find out about five animals that you might not expect to be venomous

Meet the brightly coloured sea slugs committing serial stinging-cell crimes.

Meet the amphibians with an unusual defence tactic. 

Are killer bees really as dangerous as their name suggests?

New research reveals that Yersinia pestis was widespread across Europe during the Bronze Age, thousands of years before the Black Death.

A new disease has been described in seabirds, but it might just be the tip of the iceberg.

The mountain chicken is teetering on the brink of extinction, but we may now have a way to save them.

Wildlife photographer and entomologist Dr Piotr Naskrecki introduces the peculiar insects that spend their entire lives clinging to bats for dear life.

The great diversity of life on Earth can become a literal support system.

Find out how the Gila monster's venom has the ability to save lives.

Discover the real sea creatures behind the lore.

From the goblin shark to a tiny wasp named after a creature in Harry Potter, discover the animals that take their names from folklore or fiction. 

The air isn't just for insects, bats or birds - there are a few other animals that can take to the skies.

It was once widely believed that ammonites were coiled snakes turned magically to stone.

Tumbleweeds have starred in many movies, but their representation in popular media may be somewhat misleading.

Scientists have recorded plants producing airborne sounds in response to lack of water or having their stems damaged.

Explore the stories of the giant redwoods and the extraordinary Cherokee man Sequoyah, who influenced their name.

Discover this creepy collection of nature's strangest plants. 

An ancient worm may have dragged itself along the sea floor, consuming whatever prey it could find.

Trilobites survived for more than 250 million years. But what made them some of the most successful early animals?

Discover what a supervolcano is, what their eruptions are like and how they impact our planet. 

Stars that go supernova are responsible for creating many of the elements of the periodic table, including those that make up the human body. 

The mystery of blue Moons lies in the ashes of volcanic eruptions.

Professor Caroline Smith sheds light on the secrets this rock holds about the formation of our own planet.

Explore the science behind the Aurora Pyramid of Hope, an unrivalled collection of 296 coloured diamonds.

The touchable, wavy folds of this rock tell a story as old as life on Earth.

Did you know that flies have been helping us solve crimes for hundreds of years?

As you're taxiing to the runway, spare a thought for what the impact of your flight might be.

Is it even possible in the first place?

In nature, species will sometimes form unexpectedly close bonds and work to their mutual benefit. 

From snowshoe-like feet to a nose that works like a dehumidifier, discover the amazing adaptations camels have that help them survive.

Discover the extraordinary diversity of sex and sexual behaviour in nature.

What are those milky white splatters – are they pee or poo?

The same useful traits appear again and again in nature.

Named after its prominent ear-like fins, there's much more to this fascinating octopus than its adorable appearance.

From the headless chicken monster to anal teeth, discover the curious world of sea cucumbers. 

From looking like Pokémon to having more nipples than any other mammal, tenrecs are an unusual bunch.

Meet the creatures that really are part of your world.

Armed with one of the most painful stings on the planet, tarantula hawks are a spider's worst nightmare.

Biological immortality is exceptionally rare. But is there any truth to the memes that claim lobsters can live forever?

Meet the tiny, gelatinous animal that has found a way to live forever.

Most plants get the energy they need through photosynthesis, but some get their nutrition by stealing it from another plant instead.

Meet the remarkable fish that turned up alive in 1938, despite having been presumed extinct for 70 million years.

Some trees keep their distance from one another, but why do they do it?

These real-life triffids aren't picky eaters.

We may often think of beetles as being relatively small, but there are some species that reach extraordinary sizes.

Meet the delightfully fuzzy wasps with an arsenal of defences that make them nearly impervious to attacks by hungry predators.

Over 30 species around the world are named after Christmas Day because of their bright colours, where they come from or when they reproduce.

Discover the microscopic dimensions of the smallest moths on the planet.

The brightly coloured spotted lanternfly is causing problems in parts of Asia and North America. 

Growth is usually thought of as from small to large, but marine iguanas occasionally do the opposite.

Leopard seals are incredible apex predators, but these mysterious mammals are often portrayed as villains.

Meet some of the animals that bust out their best moves to attract a mate.

We may be relying on venom and the animals that produce it more often than we think.

There's more to the snot-like secretions of the internet-famous hagfish than meets the eye.

Meet the beetles that fire a boiling chemical brew at predators that get too close for comfort.

Take a look through the eyes of a dog, a spider and three other creatures.

Although most sharks give birth to live young, a few lay oddly shaped eggs that occasionally wash up on beaches.

Find out how web-spinning spiders catch their dinner and how other spiders use silk.

With armoured bodies, curly tails and limited swimming ability, seahorses are a group of fish quite unlike any other.

Sponges are unsung heroes for thousands living with chronic illnesses.

Get to know the world’s largest land-dwelling crustacean.

If you see a snake blink at you, it's not a snake.

A curator unravels the mystery of the woodlouse's gargantuan deep-sea cousin. 

Specialised conservation work saves kākāpō from the brink of extinction. 

How much do you know about slow-moving, seagrass-munching manatees?

With a dramatic nickname and a taste for honeybees, Asian giant hornets are causing panic in North America.

Did you know that there are more species of fly in the UK than there are mammals on the planet? And they perform some pretty important jobs.

Seals have specially shaped whiskers that enable them to hunt effectively even in poor visual conditions.