Wildlife

“David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities,” NATURE’S GREATEST UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Can animals talk? How did the dinosaurs die out? Why do cats purr?

Blind bats, cat’s eyes and deadly Praying Mantis top list of animal myths believed by Brit adults

The ten most intriguing natural history questions revealed

Can animals understand and use language? What actually happened to the dinosaurs and why do cats purr? Three intriguing questions which have topped a list of natural science mysteries which the British public would most like to see answered according to a new study released today.

The survey of 2,000 British adults was commissioned to celebrate the launch of new TV show “David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities,” which begins tonight at 8pm on Eden HD. Respondents were asked to pick the mysteries of natural history that they’d most like to see resolved and answer questions on the most prevalent animal myths which are widely believed by British adults. The perennial conundrum of whether animals have a language proved the most popular mystery of natural science, with almost a third (31%) of those polled choosing this question as one of the questions they would most like to see answered. In second place was the answer to the age-old question surrounding our friends from the Mesozoic Era – why did dinosaurs become extinct (29%)? The top three is rounded off by the public’s desire to know why our feline friends purr (22%) – a question which remains unanswered despite the fact that Britain houses 10.3 million domestic cats!

Tips for a harmonious garden

Wildlife charity offers advice on keeping a happy garden this summer

The RSPB has provided a series of tips to gardeners who want to make sure their outside space is as wildlife friendly as possible this summer.

Adrian Thomas works for the RSPB and is the author of the book, Gardening for Wildlife. He said: “Making a few small tweaks and sticking to some simple rules is the best way to ensure your garden is in harmony with nature this summer.”

Top 5 tips for a harmonious garden

Help Stamp out Albatross Extinction

Whether you've got a set of first-day covers, a stamp collection, or a bag of loose stamps, please send your stamps to the RSPB and help albatrosses. All the money raised will go towards the fight to save the albatross from becoming extinct.

An otter-ly amazing encounter

Wild otters are normally difficult to see, as they tend to appear very early in the morning or late at night and often it’s only their distant swimming silhouette that is glimpsed in the dark.

However, visitors to RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve, in Lancashire, had an extremely unusual face-to-face meeting with a young wild otter when they came across it sleeping next to the path during their visit.

Heritage Lottery Fund grant is the bees knees!

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has stepped in to help stop the serious decline in the country’s bumblebee population. Today HLF announced a grant of £340,000 for an ambitious project by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, based at Stirling University, to conserve a variety of endangered bumblebee species and their habitats throughout the UK.