Several new species of peacock spider – just a few millimetres long and featuring extraordinary colours – have been discovered in Western Australia and South Australia. Jürgen Otto, a biologist from Sydney, has been researching the arachnids since 2005, and has gained a significant following online with his footage. He believes there are now 48 confirmed species of peacock spider within the Maratus genus, found across Australia but particularly in Western Australia – and many more awaiting confirmation. Here: Maratus Tasmanicus, one of seven new species of peacock spiders studied by the Sydney biologist Jürgen Otto. (Photo by Jürgen Otto)

A spotted owlet appears to be playing peek-a-boo near Rancharda Lake in Ahmedabad, India on February 9, 2016. The species is common across the Indian subcontinent. (Photo by Caters News Agency)

A bee approaching the flowers of a willow in Otzberg, Germany on February 28, 2021. Willow catkins are a protected species and one of the first sources of food for insects in early spring. (Photo by Arne Dedert/DPA)

Waxwings in Balham south London on December 31, 2023. There has been a huge influx of this erruptive species this year. This probably due to severe storms and a shortage of food in their native Scandinavia in the Autumn. (Photo by Jack Hill/The Times)

Flamingo chicks walk in an enclosure before they are tagged in Fuente de Piedra, Spain, on Jule 19, 2014. Fuente de Piedra lagoon is a natural reserve with more than 170 different species recorded and one of the main breeding grounds for flamingos in the Iberian Peninsule. Hundreds of flamingo chicks are tagged and checked annually to record the evolution of the species. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Brian Skerry can be called many things – explorer, journalist, conservation advocate – but he is first and foremost a photographer. His journeys to capture amazing underwater photographs have taken him across the world’s oceans. Photo: This Bahamian oceanic whitetip shark, known for the distinctive coloring on its white-tipped, rounded extremities, is part of a globally threatened species due to overfishing demands, primarily for its fins. (Photo by Brian Skerry)

One of the two one-year-old albino alligator is seen in a vivarium at the Tropical aquarium in Paris. The two alligators are the result of a captive breeding program which protect endangered species and will presented to the public in a vivarium. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)