Rays of light
A group of 14 spotted eagle rays, some as large as 3m in wingspan, glides through the waters off Egg Island. Knowing how shy these creatures are, photographer Shane hid behind a rock and held his breath as they 'flew' overhead, so as not to spook them with air bubbles.
Squid squad
Resembling tiny torpedoes, a small shoal of Caribbean reef squid hovers just beneath the surface. "They were communicating with each other using colours, patterns and body positioning," recalls Shane. "I did wonder whether they were trying to communicate with me, too."
Seeing green
A close-up of the peculiar mouth of the solitary artichoke coral. Like other corals, the artichoke uses stinging tentacles to immobilise and capture passing prey, which is then passed to its mouth for digestion.
Fan base
A coral reef burgeoning with gently undulating sea fans - soft corals known as gorgonians. Named for their fan-like appearance, these corals play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem, providing habitat and shelter for a diversity of small sea creatures.
Behold the blenny
The face of a sailfin blenny takes on alien proportions when lit from above. These fish are just 10cm in length but sport incredibly large dorsal fins, which they flash in displays of courtship and defence, a behaviour known as 'flagging'.
Secret sharks
At high tide, young lemon sharks hide from predators among tangles of mangrove roots. At low tide, when it's too shallow for larger predators, they head to the sandflats to hunt.
Shell seeker
This story is from the June 2024 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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This story is from the June 2024 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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
