2+ day, 14+ hour ago   (341+ words) For blue-lined octopus, mating is a dangerous game. That’s why males inject females with venom before sex, according to a new study. Their saliva contains a potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX), which they use to paralyse their prey and protect…...

2+ day, 16+ hour ago   (538+ words) Wild pygmy raccoons have been filmed making and playing with pint-sized, papier-mâché footballs. The entrancing behaviour may be a rare example of wild animals making objects simply for fun. Pygmy raccoons (Procyon pygmaeus) are found only on the Mexican island…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (143+ words) BBC Wildlife Magazine Are smarter animals better at crossing roads? Can animals learn to be street-wise? Stuart Blackman takes a look at the evidence More than 57 million European birds are killed by traffic every year. Some birds are less likely…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (321+ words) Many mammals indulge in mutual grooming to remove ticks and other parasites from their fur and skin but, aside from the occasional intriguing anecdote, it is unheard of for one mammal species to groom another. But Andy Plumptre of the…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (147+ words) They form a terrifying, deadly ‘fence’ to catch and kill their prey BBC Wildlife Magazine They form a terrifying, deadly ‘fence’ to catch and kill their prey Science writer Stuart Blackman analyses hunting strategies of the slithery kind. Snakes aren’t…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (232+ words) The behaviour has been observed in animals in the wild – but does it have a biological purpose? Oral sex does occur in the animal kingdom, which is another suggestion that animals enjoy sex and sexual touching – as the behaviour doesn’t…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago   (651+ words) We take a look at one of the world's most majestic birds, the bald eagle The bald eagle has been the USA's national animal ever since 1782 and even appears on its seal The bald eagle is a raptor (bird of…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (384+ words) When it comes to wooing a female, size matters for this colourful moth When I first set eyes on a male Australian horror moth, I had to do a double-take. What on Earth was I looking at? Was this a…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (165+ words) In remarkable footage captured by BBC Earth’s animatronic Spy Creatures, a pod of young male dolphins are seen playing a high-stakes game of catch — using a highly toxic pufferfish as their toy Off the coast of South Africa, these male…...