Mark Hillsdon is a freelance writer based in Manchester who writes on nature, sustainability and the environment. His work has been published in The Guardian and a range of nature-based titles.

Former veterinary nurse Debbie Graham is passionate about animals and the countryside. Growing up in the Lake District, surrounded by animals, she likes nothing better than taking to the fells - via ...

A freakish mole with a star-shaped nose, the world's most poisonous rat and a rainbow-coloured squirrel –meet the weirdest rodents in the world ...

Black leopards are quietly thriving in the British countryside – here’s the whole incredible story ...

Whale shark mating strategy involves aggressively stalking and biting the female, rare footage reveals - but does she respond?

Wild garlic guide: how to identify, when and how to forage, and recipe ideas ...

Travel guide to Guyana: wildlife to spot and best places to visit ...

Race to see Canada's 'Big Five' mammals in just seven days ...

It can produce a litre of slime in under 0.1 seconds, causing would-be predators to drown in a sea of mucus ...

It's tiny, covered in hair, and has spines filled with venom potent enough to cause long-lasting, painful, effects, like muscle spasms, in humans ...

Will Newton is a freelance science writer with a passion for all things prehistoric, from dinosaurs to Ice Age humans. He is also a PhD student at the University of Manchester, where he studies ...

Dr Emily Joáchim is a conservationist and bird ringer whose PhD was on little owls. She is the founder of the UK Little Owl Project, which is dedicated to UK little owl research and conservation and ...