Dec.
ildlife o ol
THE COVER
Award-winning photographer Tony Wu took this image of a male Ezo flying squirrel in Hokkaido, Japan. Inside the nest behind him is a female in oestrus. He is on the lookout for sneak attacks by a nearby rival determined to displace him, says Tony. He used a Nikon D850, 550mm, 1/400th sec at f5.6, ISO800.
FLYING SQUIRREL: TONY WU/NATUREPL.COM; ORYX: SHUTTERSTOCK;COCKATOO: GETTY; ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLY ASTLE
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NICK BAKER
The secretive worms keeping busy beneath the stark expanses of our winter estuaries P.38
GILLIAN BURKE
The biologist and presenter reminds us that while life is undoubtedly fragile, its also irrepressible P.19
MARK CARWARDINE
An ill-informed public will believe that we can techno-fix our way out of complex environmental issues P.31
LUCY COOKE
The Darwins bark spider, with her super strong silk, is an emasculating huntress P.29
MIKE DILGER
Myths abound as to how ring-necked parakeets known as posh pigeons first came to London P.34