The bullet ant

Clouds of noxious gas, stink bombs and purple smokescreens may sound like schoolboy pranks, but the animal world is just as capable of executing arresting chemical warfare, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee

W hen a peacock mantis shrimp strikes, it generates the heat of a star. The crustacean retracts a spring-loaded mouthpart known as a dactyl club and puts it on a latch, like a cowboy cocking the hamme

A labour of love. and pain. The Schmidt Sting Pain Index is a scale rating the relative pain caused by different stinging insects. It was devised by the entomologist Justin Schmidt, who worked at the

Amazing answers to your curious questions

Piranhas have a reputation as some of the most dangerous freshwater hunters: terrifying predators capable of devouring a large mammal in mere minutes. Hollywood horror films have a lot to answer for.

My hungry eyes were scanning leaves and twigs for anything ‘bug’. It was evening and the light was fading fast in the Arizona forest, particularly here in the understory. I don’t know what made me do