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Life

A festival of stunning animal pictures from 2024

The past 12 months have seen animals of all shapes, sizes and colours strut their stuff – here are just a few of the best pictures from the year

By Carissa Wong

11 December 2024

A fluffy longhorn beetle

A fluffy longhorn beetle

James Tweed

On a camping trip in Queensland, Australia, insect researcher snapped a shot of what may be the world’s fluffiest beetle (Excastra albopilosa). Its hairs are especially thick around the top half of its red and black body, and may have evolved to mimic a fungal infection, making it appear unpalatable to predators.

Adult male Rakus before applying a plant mesh to his wound

Adult male orangutan Rakus before applying a plant mesh to his wound

Armas

Deep in the tropical rainforest of Indonesia, researchers spotted this majestic male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) named Rakus smearing a chewed-up plant that is commonly…

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