Some soil fungi are carnivorous. Their filaments form rings made of three cells. When a tiny nematode worm slips through, the cells inflate in a fraction of a second and strangle it. The fungus then grows into its prey and digests it. Other species set sticky nets: beneath your feet, an invisible hunt goes on constantly.
In 2022, a young tagged bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska to Tasmania in about 11 days of nonstop flight, covering 13,560 km without eating, drinking or landing. Before departure, these birds pile on huge fat reserves and shrink their digestive organs, which are useless during the journey.
To escape rivals, a dung beetle rolls its ball of dung in a straight line. At night, it holds its course using the glowing band of the Milky Way. In a planetarium, researchers showed that beetles rolled straight under a starry sky but wandered aimlessly when the galaxy was switched off. It was the first animal known to navigate this way.