The fearsome common backswimmer hunts insects, tadpoles and fish. It uses its oar-like legs to swim upside-down under the water's surface where unsuspecting prey can be found.

The common carp is a very large fish that is popular with anglers due to its size and fighting spirit. It frequents ponds, gravel pits and lakes, but is not native to the UK, being introduced in…

A diminutive but aggressive predator, the three-spined stickleback hunts tadpoles and small fish. It is also known for fiercely protecting its nest of eggs until they hatch. Look for it in ponds,…

As the name suggests, this beautiful brown butterfly is most common in Scotland, though it can also be seen in northern England.

The gudgeon is a bottom-dwelling fish, similar to the stone loach, but with only two whisker-like barbels near its mouth. These sensory organs help it to find its prey in the sand and gravel of…

Mae tylluanod brech yn dylluanod brown cyfarwydd yng nghoetiroedd, parciau a gerddi Prydain. Maent yn cael eu hadnabod am eu cân ‘tŵ-wit tŵ-hŵ’ sydd i’w chlywed yn ystod y nos.

This stocky, brown mammal spends its life burrowing underground with its spade-like paws, hunting for earthworms to eat.

A fierce pirate of the sea, the Arctic skua is renowned for stealing fish from other seabirds and dive-bombing anyone that comes near its nests. It breeds in the far north of Scotland and on the…

During the breeding season, the common tern can be seen around our coasts and also inland at gravel pits, reservoirs and lakes. It nests in noisy colonies and can be spotted plunge-diving for fish…