Frank approaches panic stations as the lions remain elusive. Will he have to break his promise to this special little girl?

A leopard stalking a porcupine, three large male cheetahs in the road – but no lions. Will Frank keep his promise?

When guide Frank Watts promised a specially challenged little girl that he would show her a lion, little did he know that Mother Nature had a lesson for him.

Sight is normally responsible for stimulating sexual excitement in humans. But with certain fruit flies, it seems to be scent that acts as an aphrodisiac. 

Whether they jump far or run away quickly, the extraordinary athletic prowess of the animal kingdom never fails to amaze us. Test your own skill and speed in our roundup of heavyweights, sprinters, high and long jumpers.
 

African widowbirds and bishops share an array of colourful feathers and lengthy tails – signals used to attract a mate.

Stephanie Gobin is a Canadian who is working for Educo Africa on a year-long contract. The programme helps to improve the quality of life for people living in disadvantaged communities. Stephanie takes a trip to the Groot Winterhoek Mountains and tells us what it's like to work with the South African team.

In his recent book The Secret Elephants, Gareth Patterson acknowledges that we have probably learnt more about elephants than any other large, wild-living mammal. And yet some of the discoveries he has made about the tuskers that still live in the wilderness surrounding South Africa’s popular holiday town of Knysna highlight the fact that there’s much more to learn. Tim Jackson caught up with Patterson to discuss some of his recent insights into these elusive beasts. Text by Tim Jackson.

Tim Jackson caught up with Gareth Patterson to discuss some of his recent insights into the elusive Knysna elephants.