ALL YOU EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT THE Giant panda

Cuddly-looking with highly distinctive black-and-white fur and dark ‘spectacles’, the giant panda – often referred to simply as the panda – is an undeniably popular and much-loved bear, both the national animal of China and, of course, the iconic logo of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

CRUISE CONTROL

As more people are drawn to experience the frozen frontiers, can tourism to the seventh continent be a good thing for nature?

COWS COME HOME

Tauros are the closest thing to the extinct aurochs. And they are coming to the UK.

BIG LITTLE JOURNEYS

A closer look at the smallbut-mighty animals that must travel vast distances to survive

MOUNTAIN MISSION

Canada lynx and wolverines are secretive creatures, but dedicated scientists in Montana are tracking them to inform conservation

LET'S GET TOGETHER - ROOSTING PIED WAGTAILS

Remember to look up this Christmas to enjoy gangs of pied wags' gathered in the trees

FEMALE OF THE SPECIES - REINDEER

Lucy Cooke explains why the females of this Christmas icon have antlers too

Ancient woodland still at risk from HS2

Scrapping the northern phase has spared some sites, but woodlands and reserves remain under threat

Ocean superheroes

Release of 10.000 oysters in North East England promises to improve water quality and marine life

MEET THE VOLUNTEER - Keith Dobell

The retiree cares for a park, an old railway track and a wood in his home county of Northamptonshire

GILLIAN BURKE

\"Is the Paris Agreement honeymoon well and truly over?\"

Britain's wildlife crisis

Recent State of Nature report warns that one in six species in the UK are at risk of extinction

Restoring the Galápagos

Twelve locally extinct species are set to be reintroduced to Floreana Island, following the removal of invasive mammals

Suprisingly smart jellies

Caribbean box jellyfish reveal advanced learning despite having no brain

Put on your winter coat

As the days become shorter, mountain hares cloak themselves in a ghostly white camouflage

The man above the fireplace

WH Hudson was a pioneering naturalist, writer and campaigner - and his bold ideas about connecting people with the natural world hold true today

WILD BUDGIE CHASE

This parrot's natural habitat is the Australian outback, not a cage in the living room...

UNDER PRESSURE

As India's human population continues to grow and natural habitats become depleted, space for the country's elephants is at a premium

The burning issue

Wildfires are on the rise in the UK, but scientists have been developing innovative ways of preventing them, using the power of nature

FOREST DOCTORS

Chimpanzees in Gabon's Loango National Park have been observed treating each others' wounds using insects - a unique demonstration of potentially advanced cultural activity

SHAKE A LEG

Despite carefully maintaining their eight appendages, harvestmen will part with one to live another day

TRUE COLOURS

Summer may have gone but the trees are about to dazzle with an uplifting display

Falsetto flocks

Tune your ears to the high-pitched calls of returning redwings

Review protections for beavers, say MPs

Influential committee argues that the rules safeguarding the rodents are too stringent

Static electricity gives ticks a boost

New science reveals how these blood-sucking, parasitic arachnids can be propelled through the air

Prickly issue

Europe's urban corvids are using anti-bird spikes from nearby buildings to make their nests

Belinda Nalwamba

Bravery and paramilitary skills are vital as a member of Zambia's first all-female anti-poaching unit

Fungi gets a day in the sun

The tenth UK Fungus Day celebrates our incredibly diverse fungi species

Big whale discovery

Prehistoric skeleton found in Peru rivals the blue whale as the heaviest animal to have ever lived

Sweet nothings

Do honeyguide birds really help honey badgers find bees' nests? Well, probably.....