wildlife Archives

A 4WD vehicle at Rainbow Beach on the Fraser Coast of Queensland, Australia.

Are there any crocodiles in Rainbow Beach, Queensland?

Rainbow Beach is not in Queensland’s Croc Country, so the chances of encountering a crocodile in Rainbow Beach are tiny, if not totally impossible. Why people stay in Rainbow Beach Rainbow Beach in Queensland, home of the Carlo Sand Blow, is one of the most…

A platypus in Broken River inside Eungella National Park, Queensland.

The best places to see platypuses in Queensland, Australia

The platypus is one of the most improbable animals on earth — venomous, egg-laying, duck-billed and beaver-tailed. It also happens to be genuinely difficult to find. Platypuses are shy, solitary, largely crepuscular and spend most of their time in burrows or underwater. Even in good…

The best places to see manatees in Georgia, USA

Georgia is not Florida. It does not have warm springs, dedicated manatee refuges or swim-with programmes. What it does have is a remarkably productive stretch of Atlantic coastline — the Golden Isles, the Lowcountry, the ACE Basin — where West Indian manatees spend the warmer…

Puffins can be seen all around the Icelandic coast.

The best places to see puffins in Iceland: Complete guide for bird-watchers in Reykjavik and beyond

The Atlantic puffin is, by any reasonable measure, an absurd bird. It has the colouring of a clown, the flight style of a panicking bumble bee and the waddling gait of something that has recently misplaced its dignity. It is also one of the most…

The best places to see flamingos in Andalucía, Spain: The complete guide for bird-watchers

The greater flamingo is not an animal that does things by halves. It stands in the shallows in enormous concentrations — hundreds, sometimes thousands, occasionally tens of thousands — and it is the specific contrast that makes a large colony so affecting: the industrial-pink mass…

The Phillip Island Penguin Parade in Victoria, Australia.

The best places to see penguins in Victoria, Australia: Your complete guide

The little penguin — the world's smallest penguin species, standing roughly 33 centimetres tall and weighing not much more than a kilogram — has an improbable relationship with the state of Victoria. It breeds along much of the Victorian coastline, tolerates human visitors with an…

The best places in Florida to see manatees: Your complete guide

The West Indian manatee is not built for drama. It drifts, grazes, surfaces for air and drifts again. It has the approximate silhouette of a submerged armchair. And yet people cross continents to see one. There is something in the manatee's profound lack of urgency…

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Kentucky: hours, admission and tips – plan your visit

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is a 512-acre state-managed park and paleontological site located at 3380 Beaver Road, Union, in Boone County, northern Kentucky. This guide covers opening hours, admission, transport and parking, accessibility, and practical visitor tips to help you plan your visit.…

Alligators are among the many creatures spotted on Everglades tours in Florida.

Florida Everglades kayak tour vs boat tour: which should you book?

One slides you silently through mangrove tunnels, inches from the water's surface. The other takes you out across the Ten Thousand Islands on a National Park-authorised pontoon, where dolphins regularly race the bow. Here's how to pick the right one. The Florida Everglades is one…

A Tasmanian devil at Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda, Queensland.

Rainforestation Nature Park, Kuranda: ticket prices, hours and tips – plan your visit

Rainforestation Nature Park is a wildlife and cultural attraction set within World Heritage tropical rainforest in, Kuranda, Far North Queensland. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, how to get there, parking, accessibility, and practical tips for planning your visit. To skip the detail and…