Part 2: The Golden Mole, The Owl, The Glow-Worm, The Giraffe

In this second omnibus, Katherine Rundell continues her celebration of astonishing and endangered animals, blending science, myth, and cultural history.

We begin underground with the golden mole - a blind, shimmering creature whose iridescent fur glows with gold and turquoise. Then we meet the owl, a bird of silent flight and fierce intelligence, once kept by Picasso and long associated with wisdom, though nearly a third of owl species now face extinction.

Next, Katherine Rundell turns to the glow-worm, a bioluminescent beetle whose light once guided soldiers and lit homes, but now flickers in decline due to artificial light. Finally, we look skyward to the giraffe, a creature so improbable it has inspired centuries of myth. Despite its grandeur, the giraffe remains vulnerable, its parts still traded legally in some countries.

Presented and Written by Katherine Rundell
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan and Sophie Anton.