Animals

Wild, extinct, domesticated, endangered - the animal kingdom is filled with creatures of exotic shapes and sizes, making them a firm favourite for curious minds and fact finders of all ages. Here you can find a menagerie of animal facts and pictures of the wonderful beasts that walk the earth, the birds that soar through the sky and the sea creatures that swim through the vast oceans of our Earth.

At 118 years old, Kane Tanaka is the world’s oldest verified living person. She was born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1903 © Alamy

Can we cure old age?

Mother Nature's Ingenuity: 9 exquisite eggs that demonstrate how incredible evolution can be © Nico van Kappel/Buiten Beeld/Minden Pictures

Mother Nature’s Ingenuity: 9 exquisite eggs that demonstrate how incredible evolution can be

© Laurent Ballesta, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Otherworldly image of underwater creation nets Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize

Mountains © Getty

Mountains: a scientist’s guide to the tallest peaks on Earth and beyond

What is a sarcastic fringehead? © Alamy

What is a sarcastic fringehead?

Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. December 2011.

Serene gorilla in a cloud of butterflies wins Nature Conservancy Photo Contest 2021

Aesop’s fables: The science behind what the stories got wrong © Getty Images

Aesop’s fables: The science behind what the stories got wrong

Is my neighbour’s noise harming my health? © Getty Images

Is my neighbour’s noise harming my health?

What is the spider-tailed horned viper © Alamy

What is the spider-tailed horned viper?

Snakes on a plain: asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs led to a global explosion in serpent species © Getty Images

Snakes on a plain: dinosaur-killing asteroid impact led to a global explosion in serpent species

Are giraffes more at risk from lightning? © Alamy

Are giraffes more at risk of being struck by lightning?

Do animals exercise? © Getty Images

Do animals exercise?

Cannibalistic butterflies chow down on live caterpillars © Tea et al

Cannibalistic butterflies chow down on live caterpillars

During a shallow night dive in Wollongong Harbour, NSW I came across this adult male Southern Bobtail Squid hunting across the sand. As I approached it seemed to take interest in its reflection in my camera lens port and began to dance with this curious and colourful display. It’s a behaviour I’ve only witness a couple of times in several years of diving here, but this time I managed to capture it before the animal vanished into the night.

Glowing alien squid is the star attraction in the Ocean Photography Awards 2021

How similar are turtle shells to human ribs? © Daniel Bright

How similar are turtle shells to human ribs?