Deep Look

From stone fortresses to silk hideouts, these creatures know how to make themselves at home. Meet a few remarkable builders — and one expert thief — who’ve mastered the art of making shelter.

Whether it’s seaweed cloaks or see-through wings, these animals know how to hide. Meet four masters of disguise who’ve turned camouflage and mimicry into a work of art.

Here’s what compound eyes really do — and why flies see you in slow motion. A few centuries ago, scientists believed insects saw thousands of tiny, repeated images — like a kaleidoscope of candle flames. But that’s not how compound eyes work. In this episode of Big Ideas from the team behind Deep Look, Niba explores how insects actually see the world — from the structure of ommatidia to motion detection, ultraviolet color vision, and the evolutionary advantage of seeing faster than we do. From ancient trilobites to modern pollinators, this episode dives into the evolution, physics, and neuroscience behind the most common eye type in the animal kingdom.

Roly polies aren’t insects — they’re crustaceans, and they have more in common with kangaroos than you might think. These land-dwelling isopods carry their eggs in a fluid-filled pouch on their underside, giving their young a tiny ocean to develop in until they’re ready to face the world.

When it comes to sex, banana slugs take things slow. But slow doesn’t mean boring. Banana slug mating involves swapping slime, swinging heads and some light (or heavy) biting. Learn about how banana slugs procreate in this video - we promise it won’t disappoint.