BBC Wildlife Magazine

For most of us, our introduction to reindeer came earlier than we can remember. St Nick’s sleigh is, of course, pulled by a cohort of deer, led by the red-nosed Rudolph. And with that cementing of their festive role into our collective psyche, it can

The Caribbean encompasses over 7,000 incredible islands, bursting with natural wonders. Liz Bonnin shares the sights that ignited her passion for nature in this four-part series. Catch up with episodes on iPlayer A new three-part series takes viewers

Hanging off the railings of a bridge, this spider stands out against the colourful car lights of a busy road junction in a dark city. The distorted shape of the lights was achieved by delicately flipping one of the camera’s internal lenses. The shot

A CRISP JANUARY AFTERNOON IS a brilliant time to experience the magic of short-eared owls hunting. Of the five owl species usually found in Britain, this is the one you’re most likely to see during the day. Strictly speaking, shorteared owls are crep

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PREPARE TO DISCOVER THE NORDIC region as never before, with this new three-parter for BBC Two. Narrated by actor Rebecca Ferguson, the series Wild Scandinavia celebrates the northernmost reaches of Europe – Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finlan

IN 2018, A UK-WIDE BAN ON THE SALE OF ivory came into force. However, a new study by the University of Portsmouth warns that the sale of mammoth tusks, known as ‘ice ivory’, is an unregulated aspect of the trade that still needs addressing. Mammoths

LIKE BUSES, YOU DON’T SEE ONE FOR years and then billions of them appear at once. And when they do finally show up, the periodical cicadas of North America – larger, noisier relatives of the planthoppers – radically alter the ecology of their forest

STORMY WINTER SEAS STRAND ALL KINDS of natural treasure on our coasts. You might find bits of broken seaweed or shell, cuttlefish ‘bones’, crab pincers and the occasional starfish, sea urchin or jellyfish. There may also be an array of egg cases. Mer

This is one of two new species of pygmy squid, both just a centimetre or so in length. They can be distinguished by the number of suckers on their arms, among other things. Both species were found close to the coastline of Okinawa Island in Japan’s R

WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNAL LIVING, monk parakeets – now a problem as a rapidly expanding introduced species in some Spanish cities – have several skills that help them. Building large stick nests used by multiple pairs (unique behaviour for a parrot)

"WE’VE HAD LIVING PLANET, BLUE Planet, Green Planet and even Frozen Planet, but we’ve never had Flammable Planet. That would be the start of my elevator pitch to a BBC commissioner, and it wouldn’t be a depressing deep dive into how we’re all going t

DURRELL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Trust has confirmed that a small group of pochard ducks (four solitary females and one pair) have returned to their ancestral home on Lake Alaotra, Madagascar, where the species has not been seen since 1991. The arrivals

THE NECK OF A GIRAFFE WAS LONG assumed to be an adaptation to access out-of-reach foliage, but there is also evidence that its elongation was driven by males’ need to swing their armoured heads at rivals during fights. It may turn out to be a combina

GABRIEL HEMERY IS A SILVOLOGIST (FOREST scientist), photographer and author, and co-founder of the Sylva Foundation, which promotes good stewardship of our woodlands. His new book, The Tree Almanac 2024 (Robinson/Little Brown Book Group, £14.99) is t

Flocks of dunlin can match starling murmurations for spectacle. Thousands of these small wading birds twist and turn in mid-air whenever a bird of prey spooks them or the incoming tide pushes them up the shore. In winter, dunlin are grey above but pa

NEW RESEARCH CHALLENGES THE IDEA that humans are the only species of primate in which females experience the menopause – a loss of ability to bear young that occurs long before the end of their natural lifespan. Until now, menopause had only been doc

House mice don’t hibernate, but are more likely to stay indoors in winter. Many homeowners mistakenly think they are rats, as the between-the-floors scampering can be pretty loud! A fascinating recent study found that domestic cats spread through Eur

SAFARI IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF adventure – a trek through the wilderness in search of large, charismatic animals. Yet in some places, such as Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the experience is becoming more akin to a circus. The habituation of wild creatures to s

IN WINTER, THE BLACK-HEADED GULL often takes advantage of urban habitats, from park lakes, reservoirs and canals to playing fields and gardens. January and February are when this characterful gull is most likely to be seen eating worms or scraps on y

DAWN ON THE ISLE OF MAY AND I felt like I was in a zombie movie. The biting wind was haunted by a cacophony of wails, gurgles and snorts. All around, hulking monsters were hurling fishy phlegm in my direction. The beasts were grey seal mums protectin

MOST MOTHS FOUND IN BRITAIN AND Ireland overwinter as eggs, larvae or pupae. Herald moths are among the few that spend winter in their adult form. Tucked away in the cool, dark sanctuary of a shed, cellar, tunnel or cave, they rest until the arrival

The hyena may be one of nature’s most notorious hunters, but its voracious nature and tendency to eat every last scrap of its prey has surprising benefits for other animals. And that’s all down to its poo. Hyenas eat a varied diet, from carrion to ve

The broadcaster, naturalist and tour guide shares the most breathtaking seasonal events in the world JAPANESE MACAQUES ARE THE celebrity primates of the Far East, rivalling movie stars with their attention-grabbing capabilities. Troops of ‘snow monke

South-west of Nagano on Honshu, the park’s mountains offer the chance to catch up with macaques in a much wilder environment. Look out for Asiatic black bears, Japanese serows and rock ptarmigan, too. On Hokkaido island, the park offers volcanoes, co

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The popular naturalist, author and TV presenter reveals a secret world of overlooked wildlife THERE’S A FLY THAT DOESN’T HAVE wings and a bat that doesn’t use the ones it has as much as you might expect. Both these evolutionary oddballs live side by

Available from BBC Wildlife magazine is full of breathtaking photos and fascinating features on the most interesting animals and habitats in the UK and around the world. With the latest news and conservation issues, practical expert advice and ideas

FOR THE PAST FOUR years I’ve been making the final episode of Planet Earth III. It’s called Heroes, and while the other episodes are all about wildlife, mine tells the stories of six remarkable people who are spending – and even risking – their lives

The former president of the Maldives is a leading political figure in the struggle to limit climate change. He has attended every COP, trying to persuade world leaders to cut the use of fossil fuels. He fell in love with the coral reefs of the Maldiv

One of seven reindeer subspecies found in circumpolar locations across the globe, the Svalbard reindeer is endemic to the Norwegian archipelago that shares its name. In the early 1900s, it nearly went extinct following intense hunting for its meat, b

“IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL moment,” says Stewart McPherson, describing the historic tall ship Oosterschelde’s early-morning departure from Plymouth for the start of its extraordinary two-year voyage. Plymouth is the same port Charles Darwin set sail from o

THE SEA LAMPREY is a most peculiar fish. It has a slimy, eel-like body and an alien-like mouth, and is a parasite, latching onto other creatures to feed. It first appeared 300 million years ago, making it more ancient than the dinosaurs. Admittedly,

Email your questions to wildlifemagazine@ourmedia.co.uk WE HUMANS ARE A BIT OF AN ODDITY in lacking a tail. It’s only really the apes, among vertebrates, that have dispensed with a posterior extension of the spinal column. All that remains of ours is

POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL, THE iconic leopard is one of the most glamorous of wild animals, living in a diversity of geographical territories and represented by numerous subspecies. It also varies greatly in appearance, from the long-haired Amur leopard

In the lab, scientists can artificially reduce the temperature to just a few trillionths of a degree above the theoretical minimum of -273.15ºC, at which point particles stop moving. In the natural world, Antarctica is where to look. In 1983, thermom

TRADITIONALLY USED TO CREATE ornaments and art of cultural value, humans have turned ivory into everything from piano keys to hip replacements. But it’s also a rare commodity that’s been harvested to finance wars, cutting African elephant numbers fro

One could argue that the slowest animals are those that spend their lives rooted to one spot: barnacles, sponges and mussels, among others. But if we confine ourselves to mobile animals big enough to be seen without a microscope, then slugs and snail

1 ___ tree, Yucca plant of Mexico and the south-west USA (6) 5 Old name for the cranberry (3,5) 9 ___ skate, deep-water Atlantic sea fish (8) 10 African country, home to Volcanoes National Park (6) 11 Flowering plant of Asia, in the genus Polygonatum

Zebras are the only striped equids, with coats of dark hair broken up by white unpigmented stripes, and three species roam the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Can you spot all five differences between these images? The answers can be found

The shadowy mood of this shot of an Australian lizard bathed in the warm glow of the sun reminds us to embrace the beauty of quiet moments. Herald Jaison, Everton Park Two Senegal thick-knees sit side by side in Aswan, Egypt. The long-legged waders w

Your work focuses on fungi. Why fungi? Fungi are symbols of our imagination and of everything I love: fairy tales, inspiration and mystery. Mushrooms come in a range of shapes and colours, and have strong ‘personalities’. They really stir our fancy.

discoverwildlife.com/masterclass Join BBC Wildlife columnist and wildlife photographer Mark Carwardine as he takes viewers out in the field and interviews the world’s top photographers, sharing tips and tricks, advice on the right equipment and fresh

I’M AN 18-YEAR-OLD ASPIRING WILDLIFE conservationist, currently studying A-levels at South Wilts Grammar School in Salisbury, and would love to share the work we are doing in our eco-club to make the school more wildlife- and nature-friendly. At scho

It may stand at nearly 2m tall and weigh up to 50kg, but Australia’s prehistoric southern cassowary – which lays claim to the dubious title of ‘world’s most dangerous bird’ – is not easy to find, hiding within the dense rainforests of Queensland. Wr

These huge bears – the largest land predators in the world – are well-adapted for sub-zero temperatures, from their thick layer of fat tissue to their dense coat of white fur that also allows them to blend into their snowy surroundings. They are supe