Jo Caird

Sea snakes may regularly appear in lists of the world’s most venomous creatures, but in reality these marine reptiles – of which there are more than 60 species – represent little danger to humans.
Falling into two groups that evolved independently of each other – true sea snakes and sea kraits – these amazing creatures showcase a range of fascinating adaptations to life in the water.
What do sea snakes look like?
Markings vary from species to species but many sea snakes have alternating bands...

You’ll know it if you get stung by a bullet ant (Paraponera clavate), a species named for the fact that the pain from its venom feels like it’s been inflicted by a gun shot. Some insect bites are unpleasant but short-lived experiences – not this one.
What are bullet ants?
Bullet ants are one of the largest ant species in the world, it’s also got one of the longest foraging ranges, and is fiercely territorial.
What do bullet ants look like?
Aside from its extraordinary size (see below), the bu...

They say that nice guys finish last, a sentiment with which this motely crew of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians and insects would surely agree.
As some of the most aggressive species on the planet, they’ve figured out that offence is often the best defence, whether you’re a bull shark headbutting its prey, a honey badger taking on a lion or a horsefly repeatedly returning to draw blood from the same host.
As with most species out there, many of those on this list won’t attack unles...

Ranking animals by intelligence is always going to be a slippery proposition. Cleverness can be defined in many different ways, with skills and knowledge that are key to the survival of one species entirely irrelevant in the life of another.
There’s also so much we don’t yet understand about the consciousness and behaviour of wild animals – scientists around the world are making breakthroughs on the subject of animal intelligence all the time, with significant implications for our perception ...

Piranhas have a reputation as some of the most dangerous freshwater hunters: terrifying predators capable of devouring a large mammal in mere minutes.
It turns out, however, that Hollywood has a lot to answer for. While many of the more than 60 species that make up the Serrasalmid family are indeed carnivorous, piranhas are mainly opportunistic, scavenging more often than they kill.
Deadliest river animals: 10 fearsome aquatic creatures that can deliver a lethal punch
10 deadliest fish: you w...

Neither an arachnid nor a bird, this large wasp (there are over 130 known species) gets its confusing name from a fearsome habit of preying on tarantulas and other large spiders.
What are tarantula hawk wasps?
Tarantula hawks are part of the spider wasp family, and measuring from around 5cm to 11cm long, it’s found all over the world.
Meet the deadliest and biggest wasp in the world - complete with its scary 6mm stinger - and learn why it's called the murder hornet
Tarantula hawks are usually...

There are many species around the world that could have made it onto this highly subjective list: animals, birds and invertebrates with expressions that scream, 'Not today, pal’, and encourage you to walk in the other direction.
Sometimes – as with a species like the thorny devil – this grumpy look is a useful indicator of the danger an animal could do you, but more often than not it’s entirely unrepresentative of a creature’s behaviour: you can’t really blame a blobfish for looking disgruntl...

It’s all over our homes, in the clothes on our backs, and is vital to the operation of global trade, including the food system. Yet plastic – once hailed as a miracle material – is now causing enormous damage to the environment, not only through the carbon required to produce it, but also via the pollution i...

These tree-dwelling cuties are the original panda, having been described by scientists nearly 50 years before their black and white namesakes.
They’re not actually even close relatives of the giant panda, belonging to their own unique family (Ailuridae) and sharing traits with racoons, weasels and skunks.
How big are red pandas?
Brilliantly adapted against the cold and for life in the trees, red pandas grow to the size of a house cat, but with all the charisma of rusty red teddy bear.
They're...

Water is key to solving the energy challenge, and we all need to step up says Julie Lindley, current parent and Vice President at Ecolab / Nalco Water

The 2024 edition of the annual Great British Theatre magazine, a guide to musicals and plays in London and on tour around the UK

This article has been created by Positive News and supported by Winsor & Newton
A unique charity is bringing art to England’s mental health wards, transforming sterile spaces into hubs of creativity
It was nearly 10 years ago that Tim A Shaw and his partner, Niamh White, found themselves visiting a close friend who had been admitted as an inpatient to a mental health unit.
“It was a really inhumane, cold, clinical space,” he recalls. “Very bare. Quite claustrophobic. Entirely the opposite of ...