An artist’s rendering of Astraspis and Megalograptus, which had sensory exoskeletons. (Image courtesy of Brian Eng) Researchers claim our sensitive teeth originally evolved from the ‘armour’ of extinct fish that lived 465 million years ago. In a new study, scientists…
František Vejmelka with a subalpine woolly rat (Mallomys istapantap). This is the first time the species has been scientifically recorded in the wild. (Photo: František Vejmelka) One of the world’s largest rats has finally been captured on camera, nearly forty…
How much do you know about cats? Take our quiz to find out! (Image credit: Freer Law/Getty Images) Paws, what are you doing? Time for the ultimate cat challenge. Cats are true miracles. It’s a fact! Their soft “fingers” and…
‘Forest Guard’ by Bambang Wirawan, winner of the Students’ Choice Award. (Image credit: Bambang Wirawan) Stunning photographs capturing nature, including an ageing lion in captivity and an elephant wading through plastic, have been named winners and runners-up of the Prince…
Hoatzins are considered evolutionary orphans, as their place in the bird family tree remains unclear. (Image credit: Patrick Gallet/500px/Getty Images) Name: Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) Habitat: Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America. What it eats: leaves, fruits and flowers.…
At first glance, primates like this baboon (left) may seem similar to great apes like this gorilla (right), but experts say the two groups are quite different. (Photo by Mark Guitard and Mark Newman via Getty Images) At the initial…
Lions (Panthera leo) are one of five species of big cats. (Photo credit: Manfred-Suzanne DANEGGER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) “Big cats” are modern members of the genus Panthera. There are five species of these large cats, including lions and tigers. They…
For the first time in history, scientists have captured on video a rare carnivorous snail laying an egg from a “genital pore” on its neck. The footage provides answers to long-standing questions about the reproduction methods of the enigmatic molluscs…
Asian needle ants are relatively small, dark in colour and have a shiny surface. The tips of their legs and antennae are a light orange tint. (Image credit: Clarence Holmes Wildlife via Alamy) Invasive ants whose bites can cause dangerous…
Sir David Attenborough was born in 1926 in the London suburb of Isleworth. (Photo credit: Tim P. Whitby/Stringer/Getty Images) Sir David Attenborough is one of the world’s most renowned naturalists and documentary makers. Over the course of his eighty-year career,…
New research suggests the famous Tyrannosaurus rex originated in North America, not Asia. (Image credit: Jacobs Stock Photography Ltd/Getty Images) New research has shown that the famous Tyrannosaurus rex may have evolved in a completely different place than its immediate…
Pterosaur tracks, including those of the comb-jawed pterosaur Balaeongnathus, suggest that these creatures were comfortable on land. (Photo by Rudolf Hima) A new study has found that ancient tracks show that many pterosaurs during the age of dinosaurs were equally…