This is part of a series reviewing last year’s stories, according to theme and topic. This one focuses on nature, surprising in tooth and claw. These are some of my most popular posts (three are in the top ten in terms of views) and rightly so – many of these are awesome in the traditional sense of the word.

The great bowerbird is both architect and illusionist. He creates a lined avenue of twigs leading to a display area covered in stones. The stones are carefully arranged according to size, which makes the courtyard look smaller and the bird look comparably bigger to a female, watching from the avenue. These “forced perspective” illusions are found in the entrance to Disneyland, various