Animals

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.

Polar bears are being poisoned by mercury dumped a century ago

Toxic tides are delivering the dangerous pollutant to animals and people at the top of the world
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We’re replacing babies with dogs. And it could be making us happier

While fertility rates in the developed world are falling, more and more of us are choosing to parent pooches
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This bizarre shrinking frog is breaking nature's biggest rules

How can a frog get smaller as it grows up?
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These extremely rare videos show sharks feeding together

Two different species of shark peacefully nom on their decaying lunch
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Humpback whales keep bumping into things because they're shortsighted, claims study

The whales can't make out fine details until they're up close and personal
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Nature's cutest maniac: Why this (very adorable) sea slug eats sunlight for breakfast

Get to know all about the Costasiella kuroshimae - the leaf sheep sea slug
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Scientists finally solve bizarre 40-year-old sea monster mystery

This creature was unlike anything scientists had seen before. Now we know what it was
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All humans emit subtle light until they die, study suggests

You are glowing – no, really
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The mystery of this 10,000-dinosaur graveyard may have just been solved

Buried in the forests of Alberta, Canada, lies one of the densest dinosaur bone beds ever found
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The top 22 most ugly animals in the world, in pictures

Not all creatures can be beautiful, but they all have interesting stories to tell
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Why is my dog scooting?

Here's what your dog is trying to tell you when it's rubbing its bum across the ground.
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Ginger cats are genetic freaks, confirms science

On top of being certified agents of chaos, orange cats are now officially DNA weirdos
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What's the craziest thing ever stolen?

From bull semen to a commercial airliner, it doesn't get much weirder than this
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Billions of cicadas are emerging across the US. Will their pee be a problem?

These hummingbird-sized bugs can spray urine three times faster than a human
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Chimpanzees have been filmed drumming in the wild. And scientists are stunned

Step aside, Phil Collins – these wild chimpanzees have remarkable rhythm, with no drum kit in sight
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Why do dogs dig the carpet before going to sleep?

Spoiler: dogs are domesticated wolves
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Meet the civet, the animal that poops the world's most expensive coffee

From jungle droppings to luxury brew
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These (very cute) puppy tests could reveal your dog’s personality

The science of spotting a very good boy early on
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This adorable bopping sea lion can probably hold a beat better than you

Note to self: avoid dance-offs with sea lions
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Inside the mission that captured the first-ever video of a colossal squid

How a remote expedition to one of the most isolated places on Earth led to a once-in-a-century sighting
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Videos reveal lax biosecurity in New York poultry markets amid bird flu outbreaks

As bird flu cases mount at inner city poultry markets, footage obtained by BBC Science Focus shows workers and the public exposed without recommended biosecurity measures
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The new ‘Bone Collector’ caterpillar wears the remains of its prey – and we have the footage to prove it

A newly discovered caterpillar species has a macabre fashion sense, to say the least
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These monkeys are the world’s best yodellers, and we have the footage to prove it

Scientists have dubbed their calls 'ultra-yodels'
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What's the weirdest way fish mate?

Note to self: never date an anglerfish
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