Dürer’s Enduring Rhino
For centuries, one grossly distorted woodcut defined the ideal of a rare beast.
Alexander Lee
Isle of Dogs
No canine character has played a more crucial role in literature than Bendicò in Lampedusa’s The Leopard.
The Intelligence of Earthworms
Worms are among the simplest of creatures. But, as Darwin discovered, even they share things in common with humanity.
The Great Migration Mystery
It was once believed that swallows spent their winters on the Moon, or asleep on river beds.
For Whom the Bull Tolls: Hemingway and Bullfighting
Ernest Hemingway’s love of bullfighting bordered on obsession. Did he see his own insecurities reflected in the ring?
Sexual Eeling
The slippery subject of eel reproduction evaded human understanding for millennia.
A History of Monkeys
From wall paintings in Egyptian tombs to the margins of illuminated manuscripts, we have always used portrayals of monkeys to express our more animal side.
A History of the Wolf
The most maligned of creatures, since ancient times, wolves have played a central role in mythology.
A History of Haggis
The origins of haggis are as mysterious as the Loch Ness Monster.
A History of Salt Cod
The origin of bacalhau, the Portuguese national dish with a global past of ingenuity and exploitation.