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Beneath the red hot sand of an Indonesian island something stirs.  A large egg is hatching and soon the newborn creature will dig its way out to the surface and take its first gulps of fresh air.  Yet no parent watches over it. This sounds as if it should be a young turtle, thrusting its flippers sideways as it makes its desperate lurch towards the ocean.  It is not, however. This is a bird.  More remarkable still is that when it emerges the chick will already be able to fly.

The Maleo is a surprising bird.  Although it only numbers around ten thousand in the wild – and close to zero in captivity – it is remarkable amongst our feathered friends for the unique way it cares for its young.  Instead of incubating their eggs, the Maleos lay theirs in the baking sand of Sulawesi island – the only place in the world in which they can be found in the wild.  It sounds like an April Fool trick, but be assured, this bird is very much alive and kicking.  Whether it will be around in another fifty years, however, is altogether a different question.

It may be the national bird, but many Americans go through their entire lives without seeing one.  Not so the residents of Unalaska (in, unsurprisingly enough, Alaska).  It is one of the biggest fishing ports in the world and when the fishing boats return, bald eagles are waiting for them – in their droves.  Great Big Story takes a look at this fascinating bird which is about as opportunistic a feeder as you can get (that means it’s not desperately fussy!).

Are they antlers? Perhaps they are horns?  They are definitely not antenna – the Serengeti is not (as far as we know) wired for giraffid telecommunications.  They are called ossicones – and giraffes are born with them.

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Ask anyone what color an elephant should be and you may get a raised eyebrow (or two) but the answer will normally be grey or greyish – perhaps even black or brown. The more observant might say there is pinkness around some parts of the body such as the ears and trunk. Red would almost certainly not be the answer even though some would swear they had witnessed pink elephants on parade. Yet in the Kenyan National Park of Tsavo East you will find red elephants aplenty.

Sometimes you should take things a little more literally!  This charming picture was taken outside of the Dolphin Restaurant in Sultanahmet, Istanbul.  We would not dream of giving places which would serve up cat for lunch or dinner a molecule of the oxygen of publicity! Yet, for at least one day there really was cat on the menu at the Dolphin Restaurant!

Do you have a pest problem? Then perhaps you should consider calling in the Duck Squad!  This team of over 1000 ducks have a serious job – to keep down the number of snails and other pests on the South African winery they call home.  Created by Great Big Story, this is a charming portrait of how animals can be used rather than pesticides to keep the grapes growing.  The sight of over 1000 ducks ambling through the countryside in formation is quite something!

Have you ever seen a host of honey bees using their wings to cool down their hive? This and many other wonderful moments were caught by Mike Sutton when he recently had the opportunity to film hives at Hillside Apiaries in New Hampshire.  He has managed to capture some wonderful close-ups of honey bees in their natural environment, marrying his film with a brilliant soundtrack and some honey bee facts. Plus he was only stung three times during the whole filming process.

You have probably seen the grey. You may even have encountered or at least heard of the red. However, have you ever seen a black squirrel? Take a look at this small but dark beasty of the forest.

This is the black squirrel. Out of the squirrel population of the United States and Canada perhaps only one in ten thousand is black. However, this is not a separate species in itself. It is in fact a sub-group of the grey squirrel and, little by little their numbers are growing. In fact in some areas they outnumber the greys. However, this black coloring is not a recent trend among the squirrel community – research indicates that in the days before the European settlement of the America the black squirrel was probably much more numerous than the grey. 

With its all white plumage that can often reach a meter in height, the Great Egret is a sight to behold as it soars up in to the sky.  Considered safe, only a century ago the species was highly threatened. Read on to discover how and why the species was able to make a dramatic come back.

Spider webs – possibly the most beautiful and intricate animal structures of the natural world. However, some spiders are not content with a simple web. They go one step further.

Some spiders decorate their own webs with even more elaborate and complex patterns than are necessary.  Could they be the best exterior designers on the planet?  Certainly from the look of these examples, they would be in the competition but the verdict is still out as to why they produce these extra web configurations.  Some scientists argue that it is nothing more than ’spidey’ aesthetics.  Take a look at some of these arachnid designs and come to your own conclusions.

The diversity of insects on this planet is astonishing and should be a source of continual wonder for us all. It can only be hope that these incredible creatures can be left to survive and continue their species for many millennia to come. Of course they do everything we do - sometimes with much more aplomb! You may think this is Mother Nature at is rawest and you would be right, but ready or not - here we go!

Most people have heard of the Ring-tailed Lemur (above) and could suppose that it is the only species. However, there are many varieties of Lemur, a lot of which are beautiful and incredibly rare. Take a look in to the planet of the lemurs and discover for yourself the wonderful diversity of this lesser known family of animals.

The Red-ruffed LemurThis exquisitely colored species is critically endangered and part of its habitat in Madagascar has recently been made in to a National Park. This may at least ensure the survival of some of the species but as it is unable to tell where it is safe for itself, many of the animals live outside the park’s boundaries and are still prey to humans as ‘bush food’. Who could possibly bring themselves to eat this delightful animal in the full knowledge that it is nearing extinction?

Take a look at the picture of an ant, above. Yet, this is not a photograph of an ant: it isn’t even a photograph of an ant attacking an insect.  It is in fact the ant-mimicking treehopper (Cyphonia clavata) which keeps itself safe from predators by pretending to be an ant.  What looks like an ant here is actually extension growths on its body - which most other insect species are incapable of creating.

The plan is that any predator looking down will only see what looks like an ant.  The rest of the treehopper’s body will blend in with the foliage. What seems, at first, strange is that the body of the ant is positioned backwards on that of the treehopper. Take a look at the abdomen of the ant and you will see the tiny green eyes of the treehopper.  Why is this?  It is because when it is in defensive mode an ant will move backwards.  In this way, the ant-mimicking treehopper (which can be found in in Middle and South America) has, in fact, got this right too.

Wild nature has so many pearls that many people may not even know about. For example, the diversity of wild cats can surprise even those who can pry themselves as experts. Wild feline species amaze us with the diversity and beauty they have. Unfortunately, many of these representatives are endangered species due to the activity of people. Deforestation, excessive poaching, inbreeding, and else leaves very little chances for these wild animals to live the lives they used to have. Let's see what the rarest wild cats are before. We need to learn to appreciate what we have as long as we have.

Rusty-Spotted Cat

The Rusty-Spotted Cat, which can be found only in India, is the smallest in the world. It is about 14 to 19 inches in length and can weigh up to 3.5 lbs. But don't be fooled by its appearance, though. Yes, we know that it looks adorable, it's hard to miss that. But these wild cats are still wild and can be quite dangerous. However, the chances of accidentally seeing it somewhere in the wild are incredibly low. These cats are among the most secret animals out there. Indeed, their species has relatively recently been discovered in comparison to the rest of their kind.

Also, don't be fooled by their small sizes. They are quite capable of standing up for themselves. First of all, Rusty-Spotted Cats are great hunters. Their success rates in hunting make up to 60%, which is the highest number among all wild cats. They usually go after small prey like birds, lizards, or various small rodents. Though they can also eat some large insects if the night was unfruitful. You can check these advanced writers reviews if you are thinking of talking about these cats in your next biology paper.

Siberian (Amur) tiger

Siberian tigers exist in cold climates, most often seen in Far East Russia. They are the largest representatives of wild felines. Unfortunately, this species is on the verge of distinction. The population was almost completely wiped out by the poachers who killed those tigers for pleasure, trophies, and skins. On the bright side, recent years actually show a slow increase in the population of Siberian tigers. Still, they are among the rarest species on the planet. They are also believed to be quite shy and are very rarely seen by people. Even to document their presence in nature may take years. These tigers are extremely good hunters. They are very fast, aggressive, and incredibly strong. Their main prey is wild boar or elk. There is a large area of protected forest in Russia that was created for the protection of Siberian tigers.

South China Tigers

These wild felines have a rather sad fate. In the middle of the 20th century, with the rule of the communist party, they declared the enemies of the people. Suppose you are curious to read more about this era in Chinese history and its effect on wild nature. In that case, you can order a professional academic paper, of course, after reading some high-quality affordable papers reviews. Anyway, currently, the Chinese government is talking about its plans to create a special reserve to preserve the remaining tigers. Though, the truth is, these tigers haven’t been seen for decades now. The last reports about them were made back in the 1970s. Hence, it is impossible to say whether these tigers are extremely endangered or already extinct. The only remaining South China tigers are kept in captivity in South African, where there’s hope for their further breeding.

Borneo Bay cat

Another rare and endangered wild cat can be found only in Indonesia. These are rather small cats, with only 21 inches in length (almost half of it is the length of their tales). They can weigh up to 9ibs. Currently, there are only slightly over 2000 species of Borneo Bay cats left. Though the government protects these cats, they are still illegally poached. Interestingly enough, this is one of the least researched species in the feline family. Partly, it is due to the place of inhabitants that is Indonesian jungles. Their extinction is also the result of severe deforestation, mainly for the palm plantations. The fears are, people will not have enough time to research these animals before they become fully extinct. If you want to learn more about the consequences of palm oil production, you can read an academized review to learn how you can order research on this topic.

Iberian Lynx

Iberian Lynx is the rare story of success on this list. This species shows a steady increase in its population over the last decades. Of course, now their population, on the latest count, makes only 156. Though, it seems that Iberian Lynx has a second chance in life with the current efforts of reservation workers. These cats come from the Mediterranean climate of southern Spain and Portugal. They love meadows and low grassland and hunt mainly on rabbits.

Most people know that the age of the diniosaurs ended with the impact of a huge meteor that ravaged the earth and was responsible for the extinction of 90% of the species around then.  What fewer know is that the age of the dinosaurs also stared with a mass extinction.  This wonderful animation, designed and directed by The Brothers McLeod.for the BBC tells is the whole story, spanning many millions of years and covering the three period of the Mesozoic, the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.

Did you know that symbiosis is one of the most important words in the English language?  Why? Because without symbiosis it is possible that most life on earth (ourselves included) would not live. This is the first in a series of short films exploring the amazing science of symbiosis, a mutually beneficial relationship between two or more species. In this episode - Symbiotic Super Powers – we get to learn what symbiosis is, discover why it’s so important for life on Earth, and meet some of the scientists who are working hard to understand it.  This very cool short was created by Day’s Edge Productions.

Last updated: 06 September 2023

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You are probably well aware of the life cycle of most frogs. They lay their eggs in water and when the tadpoles hatch they are on their own with no parental intervention. The lucky few will develop through this larval stage in to frogs. Yet there are a few South American species, such as the Mimic poison frog (above) which do things a little differently. They carry their tadpoles about on their backs.

Until the announcement on the 11 April 2009 about the breed of dog that President Obama and his family were to welcome in to the White House, little was known about the Portuguese Water Dog.  Yet the fact that Bo (as he became known) was soon ensconced in the White House is, for his breed, something just short of a miracle. Behind the shaggy good looks there lies a remarkable story of species survival. By the 1930s the dog was on the verge of extinction.

Arguments abound about the origins of the Portuguese Water Dog with many maintaining that the first early examples of the species appeared on the Russian Steppes around 700 BC.  If this is the case, one can only wonder whether the irony is lost on President Obama: the dog that became part of his family has its origins in what was for many years called the USSR?