CATEGORIES

SNAP-CHAT

Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus

STEPPE CHANGE

Herds of saiga have returned to Kazakhstan, but there's a fine balance to tread

TREES FOR LIFE

Community is at the heart of conservation in the tropical forests of southern Belize

WHEN DOVES CRY

Turtle doves are now the UK's fastest declining bird species, but the RSPB is on a mission to save them

SURVIVAL OF THE CUTEST

We can't help being drawn to cute creatures, but our aesthetic preferences both help and hinder conservation

LIGHT ON THE NORTH

Spectacular images of Arctic foxes, reindeer and musk oxen reveal the wild beauty and diversity of Scandinavia

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

The super-sized crustacean that lives in the deepest, darkest ocean

LET'S GET TOGETHER

Clay licks deep in the Amazon explode in a riot of colour, with macaws the stars of the show

FEMALE OF THE SPECIES

To sponge or not to sponge? That is the question for the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

7 nature encounters for the month ahead

WITH NATURALIST AND AUTHOR BEN HOARE

Photo bombing

Wildlife is being harmed by our need to get the perfect shot - and share it

Earthshot winners 2024

Cate Langmuir

Calling in the canine crew

Ground-nesting birds are on the up in Scotland's Orkney Islands, thanks to man's best friend

Giant 'hero rats' are solving wildlife crime

The rodents' super sense of smell helps them detect ivory, horn and other illegal products

Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food

Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.

Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe

Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.

See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.

The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.

Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths

Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.

Metamorphosis: a life-changing event

WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY

New series for BBC One: Asia

Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.

Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply

Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed

Tarsiers in trouble

Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate

SNAP-CHAT

Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed

VISIONS OF NATURE

The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

RETURN OF THE GIANTS

After two decades of preparations, the island of Floreana in the Galápagos is ready to welcome back an iconic tortoise

10 HOLIDAYS FOR CONSERVATION

Our round-up of the best ecotourism projects around the world. Here's how to help wildlife while having a blast!

KEY TO CHANGE

Change is afoot in Florida, as ecotourism is being made a priority

MARK CARWARDINE

\"Restricting the distance ships can approach a polar bear is not the answer\"

OPINION - GILLIAN BURKE

\"We can make a start by living with more ecological humility\"

Does cloning create identical copies?

EMBRYOS ARE MADE OF STEM CELLS that divide to give rise to different types of cells, everything from skin to brain cells. Scientists once thought that reproductive cloning creating a genetically identical copy of an individual organism - would be impossible without using stem cells and that the path leading to mature 'differentiated' cells was irreversible. But clawed frogs proved them wrong...