Nature

Laika the space dog died from overheating, and the world did not learn that until 2002. This category covers animals, plants and the people who watched them. The octopus keeps two-thirds of its 500 million neurons in its arms. The Venus flytrap catches mostly ants and spiders, and ants make up about a third of its prey. Jane Goodall started her chimpanzee work without a degree, and Cambridge still took her for a doctorate. Alexander von Humboldt climbed Chimborazo in 1802 and bled from the gums. With Old Faithful, you can guess the wait from the length of the last eruption.

• Humpback whaleHumpback whales fell to fewer than 5,000 by the 1960s, but around 135,000 lived worldwide in 2018.

  14 min
• Great white sharkThe great white shark has 300 teeth in rows, each one replaced all its life.

  13 min
• TyrannosaurusThe T. rex skeleton Sue sold for $7.6 million at auction. No dinosaur skeleton had cost more until 2020.

  18 min
• Ernest ShackletonErnest Shackleton and two men crossed South Georgia's mountains on foot to fetch a rescue.

  14 min
• OctopusTwo-thirds of an octopus's 500 million neurons sit in its arms, not its brain. Each arm can sense and react on its own.

  25 min
• Dire wolfIn April 2025, Colossal Biosciences announced three gene-edited wolf pups as dire wolves. Experts rejected that.

  14 min
• Giant pandaThe giant panda is a bear that still has a meat eater's body. Yet about 99 percent of its diet is bamboo.

  28 min
• Alexander von HumboldtAlexander von Humboldt climbed Chimborazo in 1802, gasping and bleeding from his gums.

  13 min
• Mozart's starlingMozart bought a starling singing a tune close to his new piano concerto. He wrote that it was beautiful.

  4 min
• David AttenboroughAt 11, David Attenborough sold newts to a university for three pence each.

  12 min
• LaikaLaika the space dog died from overheating, but the world learned this only in 2002.

  10 min
• Old FaithfulA short eruption at Old Faithful means the next one comes in about 65 minutes. A longer one means a wait of around 91.

  6 min
• Venus flytrapDespite its name, the Venus flytrap catches mostly ants and spiders, not flies. Ants are roughly a third of its prey.

  17 min
• Secretariat (horse)Fans never cashed 5,427 winning tickets on Secretariat at the 1973 Belmont Stakes. A $2 bet paid just $2.20.

  25 min
• Jane GoodallJane Goodall had no university degree when she began studying chimpanzees. Cambridge still let her earn a doctorate.

  23 min