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

Yossi Yovel The Genius Bat Understanding our most mysterious mammal 336pp. Oneworld. £20. Philosophy begins with wonder, according to Plato and Aristotle. As for philosophy, so, and more so, for biolo

In this new series, I’ll explore just how clever plants are, the complex ways in which they respond to the environment around them, the adaptations they make and the survival strategies they employ. I

Adrian Thomas looks to the skies for three special birds that you may see over your garden or might even attract into your space to breed

Amazing answers to your curious questions

From her Yorkshire smallholding, Sally Coulthard marvels at the superpowers of crepuscular creatures that emerge in the magical half-light of dawn and dusk