This is the colourful candy-striped land snail (Liguus virgineus), and it’s only found on Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba. For years its colourful shell made a popular souvenir for travellers visiting these Caribbean islands, but now a law forbids people from harvesting the shells and selling them.

This is the very rare Turkish Halfeti rose. Although it looks like it's been spray painted, it's such a dark crimson colour that it looks pure black. The roses only grow during the summer in a Turkish village called Halfeti thanks to the unique soil conditions of the region and the pH levels of the groundwater. As they first bloom the flowers look dark red and fade to this black hue during the summer months.

Pandas produce a super powerful antibiotic that kills bacteria and fungi. The substance is released by the panda’s immune system to protect them from catching infections in the wild. Researchers are trying to decode the substance’s makeup as it could be used to develop treatments against drug-resistant superbugs.

Meet the guineafowl puffer (Arothron meleagris), all puffed-up and poisonous to deter any would-be predators. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific Oceans, this spotty species loves feeding on tiny marine invertebrates and the tips of coral.

Lions are now critically endangered in West Africa. Although they once ranged continuously from Senegal to Nigeria, new research has revealed only around 250 adult lions survive in the region, and only one of the four isolated populations contains more than 50 individuals.

The world's newest island, Niijima, keeps on growing, and is now eight times the size it was when it first emerged off the coast of Japan on 20 November. Having merged with its neighbouring uninhabited island, Nishino Shima - which sat 500 metres away in November - the pair bears an uncanny resemblance to Snoopy the cartoon dog.

Puffer fish release a toxin to protect themselves from predators, but dolphins have figured out how to make the fish release just the right amount and use it to get high and enter in what seems to be a trance-like state. “They [dolphins] began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection,” said one of the researchers.

The Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) is a remarkable species that has developed a unique strategy to evade predators. When at rest, this moth cleverly disguises itself as a broken stick, blending seamlessly with its surroundings. The moth's wings are intricately patterned and colored to mimic the texture and appearance of a twig, complete with jagged edges and bark-like markings.

This exceptional camouflage allows the Buff-tip moth to remain virtually invisible to predators such as birds and small mammals that may otherwise consider it a potential meal. By adopting this disguise, the moth gains a significant advantage in survival, as it can confidently rely on its remarkable mimicry to go undetected in its natural habitat. This fascinating ...

The genome of the 7,000-year-old hunter-gatherer has given scientists unprecedented insight into modern humans before the rise of farming, and overturns the popular image of light-skinned European hunter-gatherers. The DNA was taken from the wisdom tooth of the Mesolithic man and revealed he was probably lactose intolerant, had more difficulty digesting starchy foods than today's humans, and carried mutations that boost the immune system against nasty illnesses previously thought to only be introduced to humans by farm animals. ...

This is what an embryonic leopard cub looks like in the womb. It's not a photograph, but a combination of three-dimensional ultrasound scans, tiny cameras and computer graphics used to create realistic representations of animal fetuses for a National Geographic documentary.

This is a 'ghost heart' it was soaked in an ingredient found in shampoo to wash away all the cells. This technique leaves a protein scaffold that can be injected with stem cells from a person who needs a transplant, guaranteeing that the transplant won't be rejected.

The sword-billed hummingbird’s bill is actually longer than its entire body. As the sole species in the Ensifera genus, this hummingbird is found across South America. The bill can grow up to 14 cm, so these birds have to use their feet to groom themselves and typically rest with their bill pointed upward so they can balance.

An Australian Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) showing off some excellent camouflage against a tree trunk. The birds are nocturnal and stay safe while they're roosting during the day by disguising themselves as a tree branch. They're known to stand perfectly still and upright with their beaks in the air for hours.

The Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) has a range running from southern Mexico to western Panama. Its sinuous, jade-green tail feathers once adorned the clothing of Mayan rulers and served as currency. Now, bird-watching tourism boosts local economies in quetzal territory.