For humans, deception is a part of everyday life. The word ‘deceive’ has connotations of malevolence, selfishness and strategy -...
animal behaviour
In nature, the competition to win a partner can be so intense that it creates both extraordinary beauty and bizarre...
“It often seems to me that the night is even more richly coloured than the day, coloured with the most...
What sets humans apart from other animals? Language? Creativity? Some think that the answer is actually memory, and that only...
The number of ants living on Earth at any one time is inconceivable. Their adults alone are thought to number...
A Persian falconer’s prize, the Black Shaeen (Falco peregrinus peregrinator) is one of the fastest and treasured falcons, reaching speeds...
Salticidae Spider Depth perception takes on a whole new meaning when you have eight eyes. The spider in the picture...
The placebo effect is like a slightly embarrassing trick you play on someone who’s never heard it before. There’s no...
We can all admit to being, on occasion, slaves to our emotions. But what if we could medically alter and...
The Summer 2012 issue of I, Science took a look at perception, discussing senses and their limitations. However, one sense...
Just a short post today. I came across this video of the strangest animal behaviour I've ever witnessed. The bear,...
King penguin and chick (ref:SPL) If a human stopped feeding their child for 5 months it would soon be a...
James Pope This is odd behaviour for a southern tamandua anteater (tamandua tetradactyla). They're usually found in trees, not wandering...
This amazing video by Mark Rigler demonstrates the beautiful complexity that exists throughout the natural world. Like a Bach fugue,...
Scientists can be utter bastards some of the time. Not content with letting us unwashed masses revel in our ignorance,...
“I studied Zoology.” “Oh right, the study of zoos.” “Not exactly.” Zoology is the study of ANIMALS and it’s one...
Last year, I had the good fortune of going on a white water rafting trip. Shivering uncontrollably from the combination...
"Again I woke in the night, and found Lucy sitting up in bed, still asleep, pointing to the window...between me...
Despite their lack of ability, Diversity were able to win Britain's Got Talent. 'Swarm intelligence' refers to how grouping can...
Warfare in the ant world is nothing new. From chemical weapons to suicide bombers these insects have done it all...
Andrew Purcell There can be few species on Earth about which more myths exist than piranhas. Piranhas have an...
I don't have time to write a blog, and you probably don't have time to read one, so instead here...
Andrew Purcell Earlier this month, researchers from New Zealand announced that they had observed wasps lifting up ants and carrying...
Family feuds, gang wars and illicit affairs - the urban fox might only live for a maximum of five years...
Something about animals having sex is inherently hilarious. Having done a biology degree, I know quite a lot about the...
Animal behaviour is a subject that has always fascinated me. At first glance, the actions of animals seems so familiar,...
I know, I know, I used the word “mourn” in the title. I could almost feel the disapproving eyes boring...
Hide and seek goes on just about everywhere. It’s a simple case of looking hard enough. Camouflage allows organisms of...
Most animals need sleep. Even C. elegans, the nematode worm, has sleep-like states and it is one of the simplest...
The Great White Shark or Carcharodon carcharias if you want the Latin, otherwise known as Jaws. This infamous predator can...
