Animals & Nature

Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

Territoriality and defending young from predators remains serious business, and even the smallest birds will lash out at threats.

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

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10 of the World's Most Dangerous Fish

They may seem beautiful in an aquarium, but some species of fish have darker, more terrifying aspects.

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Spotlight: Shark Week

Shark Week has been an annual rite of summer since 1988. But what is it about sharks that endlessly fascinates us? Is it the mystique of the deep, the idea of danger lurking beneath the surface? Is it their cold eyes? Or is it just our imagination that paints them with such a broad, terrified brush? Read on.

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Do you know which species of shark is most likely to attack a human? Or what animal has the strongest bite?

Various retriever dog breeds sitting in a row. L-R: curly coated retriever, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, duck tolling retriever, flat coated retriever. hunting sporting dogs

The Dog Breed Quiz

Find out which breed can outrun a cheetah, which breed was created by monks, and much more.

Name That Flower!

Can you tell the difference between a lilac and a hyacinth?

Close up of the eye of a horned owl. (genus Bubo) bird raptor. Cropped version of Asset ID:

Guess the Animal Eyes Quiz

Can you tell these creatures just by looking at their peepers?

Uncover interesting tidbits about the flightless kakapo, the African gray parrot, and blue and gold macaws

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Jellyfish

Baobab Trees

Male lion (Panthera leo) in Nambia, South Africa. Savannah, mammal

Lions

Welwitschia Mirabilis, Namibia, Africa. (desert plant)

Gymnosperms

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in Egypt, Africa largely tropical and common in coral reef habitats. Cheloniidae, Endangered. Homepage blog 2011, science and technology, animal

Turtles

white shark. white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also called great white shark or white pointer near Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Mexico, Baja California peninsula, Pacific Ocean.

Sharks

Birds

Magpie (Pica pica), perched on a log, bird

Eurasian Magpie: A True Bird Brain

This bird’s brain will change how you see the common phrase.

Nuthatch. nuthatch and creeper. bird. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) a small songbird in mid-winter. Near Fairmont Hot Springs, BC, Canada.

How Do Birds Hear?

Birds lack the outer ear anatomy that humans rely on. So is their hearing different from ours?

Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

Do Birds Pee?

Why white sludge drops from the sky but never anything yellow.

Hungry Pelican waiting to be fed, beak open, Australia

Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?

Using a toothless beak to break food into smaller pieces has its advantages.

Plants

Palm House conservatory of Kew Gardens, London, England. (formal garden, glass house, greenhouse)

How Botanical Gardens Save Plants with Science

Stop and smell the endangered roses.

Weed. Flower. Taraxacum. Dandelion. T. officinale. Close-up of yellow dandelion flowers.

11 Questions About Useful Plants Answered

This list provides answers to 11 key questions about useful plants.

Britannica’s Flower Bingo

Test your knowledge of garden flowers!

Rare rafflesia plant in jungle. (endangered species)

5 Awesome Parasitic Plants

Check out these botanical vampires.

Mammals

blue whale

Blue whale, (Balaenoptera musculus), the most massive animal ever to have lived, a species of baleen whale that weighs approximately 150 tons and may attain a length of more than 30 metres (98 feet). The largest accurately measured blue whale was a 29.5-metre female that weighed 180 metric tons