BBC Wildlife Magazine

1 day ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

Step into the underground world of New Zealand’s Waitomo Caves and you’ll witness one of the most enchanting natural wonders on the planet. In total darkness, a galaxy of tiny blue lights twinkles all around – created by thousands of glow worms clinging to the cave ceilings. These spellbinding creatures are arachnocampa luminosa, a species unique to New Zealand. Although called worms, they are actually the larvae of a fungus gnat.

1 day ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

Humpback whales have been spotted blowing bubble rings towards humans in a newly documented behaviour that researchers believe may be playful or communicative. It's the first time humpback whales have been observed creating stable bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans, such as approaching swimmers or boats, say the researchers, who suggest that these floating rings, which resemble the smoke rings blown by humans, may represent a novel form of non-human expression or curiosity.

2 days ago | discoverwildlife.com | Richard Pallardy

Researchers working off of the Revillagigedo Archipelago south of the Baja Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean have documented Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis) rubbing their bodies against oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) in order to remove external parasites. Sharks have been known to use surfaces to scrape off parasites and often make use of the 'cleaning services' of smaller fish that pick them off.

3 days ago | discoverwildlife.com | Carys Matthews

Elephant calves might look like miniature giants, but they’re surprisingly unsteady on their feet with legs, ears, and a trunk that they haven't quite worked out how to use. Weighing over 100kg at birth (the weight of an adult giant panda!) and standing almost a metre tall, elephant calves are the world's largest mammal born on land. In the first few months of life, a baby elephant calf flails at basic tasks more than functions.

3 days ago | discoverwildlife.com | Daniel Graham

In the wetlands of the Paraná Delta, just north of Buenos Aires, there is a curious island known as El Ojo. What's strange about it? To start with, it floats. It's also a near-perfect circle that sits inside a lake, which itself is circular. Stranger still, El Ojo appears to rotate and shift its position over time. From the air, this fusion of characteristics makes the island look like an eye – hence its name, El Ojo, which translates into English as 'The Eye'.