Vicious vipers

AUSTRALIA HAS A REPUTATION for being full of deadly wildlife – and with good reason. The vast antipodean island is home to an impressive list of dangerous critters. Sharks, spiders and snakes get most

The spider-tailed horned viper contains the raw ingredients of two of the world’s most common phobias: arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). The only way it could possibl

Taking a break from installing anti-bird spikes intended to keep gulls off houses in Porthleven, Cornwall, maintenance worker Darren Pardoe visited a seafront pub for a cup of coffee. Sitting outside,

1 BASKING SHARK Basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) are the world’s second largest shark. They grow bigger than great whites and can reach a staggering 12 metres long, yet these gentle giants feed on

YOU’LL KNOW ALL ABOUT IT IF you get stung by a bullet ant (Paraponera clavata), a species named after the fact that the pain from its venom feels as if it has been inflicted by a gunshot. Some insect

POND DIPPING IN SOUTH AMERICA IS surprising, mainly because it isn’t that different from pond dipping in a British ditch. There are familiar faces in the water: beetles, pond skaters, water boatmen, d