An echidna light sculpture eating ants is displayed during a media preview of Vivid Sydney illuminated displays at Taronga Zoo on May 24, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Vivid is lighting up at Taronga Zoo for the first time with ten giant animal sculptures representing critical species the zoo is committed to protecting. Held annually, Vivid Sydney is the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas running for 23 days. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Denis and Nelya, both 30, from Moscow, Russia invited brown bear Stepan along to their very special ceremony. As well as witnessing the couple exchange vows, the bear also played the role of registrar at one point. Denis said: “We both knew Stepan is a very kind bear but still it is a huge, unpredictable animal so we were a bit scared, but still happy to be able to make our dream come true. It was a fantastic experience to have this photoshoot with Stepan”. (Photo by Olga Barantseva/Caters News)

In this photo taken Wednesday, March 8, 2017, a woman herder sits with her goats in a remote desert area near Bandar Beyla in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland. Somalia has declared the drought a national disaster, part of what the United Nations calls the largest humanitarian crisis since the world body was founded in 1945, and with animals being central to many the drought threatens their main sources of nutrition and survival. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

The “voodoo” wrestler known as Panthère utters incantations above the alter of his shrine in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on July 27, 2023. In the capital of DR Congo, dozens of men and women – including former wrestlers – practice “voodoo wrestling”, using traditional fetishes and animals. Fights are organised in some of the city's poorest and most densely populated districts. (Photo by Alexis Huguet/AFP Photo)

Members of Siam Classic Dance Studio perform for onlookers at Haymarket on January 21, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. The Lunar New Year or Spring Festival marks the transition of the Chinese zodiac sign from one animal to the next. 2023 sees in the Year of the Rabbit, which begins on January 22. In Chinese culture, the Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity. The festival is celebrated in Australia by the country's significant Chinese-origin minority, who follow much of the same traditions as the Chinese diaspora in the rest of the world. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Once upon a time a myth was born that insects, unlike animals, are just a machines that not capable of learning and survive only based on their instincts. That myth has become the widespread opinion. Of course, this opinion is indeed erroneous, like many other widespread opinions. Let us try to find out which part is a myth and which part is true.

Renowned amphibian and reptile photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has released his first book, “Cold Instinct”. Kuijpers says the aim of the work is “for the viewer to abandon the fear and negative thoughts that often surround these animals”. What’s left is the bizarre beauty of these creatures in their simplest form – no backgrounds and no distractions. Here: Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale). (Photo by Matthijs Kuijpers/The Guardian)