Natural Histories highlights
A selection of snippets from Radio 4's Natural Histories series.
How to talk to gorillas
Ape expert Ian Redmond reveals the calls he and Dian Fossey used to befriend gorillas
'Birds are living dinosaurs'
Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum on the link between dinosaurs and birds.
How coral islands are formed
Dr Ken Johnson explains what Charles Darwin discovered about coral atolls.
The butterfly that was shot from the sky
Dr Blanca Huertas explains why this Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly was shot.
Why was Jaws such a scary film?
Professor John Ó Maoilearca on the 'very effective' movie formula used in Jaws and Alien.
The myth of the mandrake scream
Joyce Frome from the Museum of Witchcraft on the myths surrounding the mandrake root.
How it feels when a male lion roars nearby
Wildlife filmmaker Adam Chapman describes the feeling of hearing a nearby lion roaring.
Is the giant squid a monster?
Matthias Classen, Edith Widder and Emily Alder on the 'alien' creature of the deep.
'Many, if not most, dinosaurs had feathers'
Prof Mike Benton explains how we know all small to medium-sized dinosaurs had feathers.
The coral reef battlefield
Dr Erica Hendy describes the ‘warfare’ that takes place on the coral reef ‘battlefield’.
How the lions of Trafalgar Square were made
Rosie Broadly tells Brett Westwood about the pose and casting of the 'sphynx-like' lions.
'Fat, flabby, disgusting' - meet the burbot
Brett Westwood hears some of the less flattering names given to this fish.
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Archie the female giant squid—Giant Squid
Jon Ablett introduces the Natural History Museum's 8.62m giant squid.
Red admiral - 'the butterfly from hell'
Peter Marren explains how the red admiral butterfly was once seen as sinister.
Sharks have a 'conveyor belt of teeth'
Oliver Crimmen from the Natural History Museum describes the jaws of a great white shark.
Learning the 'language' of chimps
Charlotte Uhlenbroek recalls her attempts to understand chimpanzee communication.















