Kevin Parr
Writer, fisherman and amateur naturalist
Kevin Parr is a writer, fisherman and amateur naturalist who lives in West Dorset with his wife and a colony of grass snakes. He is the angling correspondent for The Idler magazine. His books include Rivers Run: An Angler’s Journey from Source to Sea (Rider Books).
Recent articles by Kevin Parr
The crustacean that carries plague, survives through cannibalisation, and has almost wiped out an entire species
What if eating invasive species could help combat them? That's what we thought in the 1970s, but we were wrong. Introducing this non-native crayfish sparked a rapid chain of events that almost cost us a species, and we're still recovering from it
Bright beak, emerald feathers, piercing call – can you spot this tropical intruder in your local UK park?
This exotic equatorial native has been making itself at home in Britain since the 60s, but how exactly did it come to travel over halfway across the world?
Discover the slug-like amphibian that swallows deer remains whole, is heavier than a motorcycle, and has a cavernous mouth
This enormous fish could be lurking just below the surface in your local river. Here's how the European species came to British waters...
Meet the rat-eating snake that's as long as a queen-size bed... and lives in London's trees
The Aesculapian snake has become a global healthcare emblem, here's how its journey began back in ancient Rome.
It's as wide as a king-sized bed and as fast as a car. Meet the powerful predator and silent hunter with a bone-crushing grip
A non-native bird with a mysterious past, how did the Eurasian eagle owl end up in the UK?
This 30cm long foreign reptile could dominate habitats near Bournemouth
A colony of western green lizards – which
are native to mainland Europe – could
have a negative impact on native lizard
populations at Boscombe Cliffs in Dorset
Meet the venomous spider that's rapidly spreading its legs across Britain
The false widow spider, or Steatoda nobilis, has seen rapid expansion across the world
With bulbous eyes and two big teeth, this predator has been nicknamed "the vampire fish" – for good reason
Introduced in the 19th century, this predator has spread through UK rivers – and there are now efforts to eradicate it
Are there any octopuses in UK waters?
Octopuses are highly sensitive to changes in their environment – which means they often have population 'blooms' in surprising locations...
It dates to the Ice Age and was only found in four lakes – is this Britain’s rarest fish?
The vendace has hung onto life in the 21st century by a gossamer thread, explains Kevin Parr
It’s covered in slime, has frilly ‘antlers’ and can’t float in open water – is this the weirdest creature found in UK waters?
This bizarre fish is found around the southern and western coastline of the UK
It has a ‘dagger’ for a tail and is venomous – meet the scorpion-like creature gliding through UK waters
The creature also appears in ancient cultures around the world as a guardian of the sea
Witches, dragons and giants – we hunt for history's most terrifying beasts with a monster expert
Britain is a land populated by dragons, giants, selkies and supernatural beings – or so the legends go. Kevin Parr meets Monsterland author Nicholas Jubber to hunt for otherworldly creatures
This deep-water creature mates by biting and fusing itself to its partner and lures prey with its own light-up ‘fishing rod’
This fish can be found in deep waters around the UK – and has a whole host of bizarre behaviours
Meet the marine escape artist that has multiple hearts, can change colour and regenerate its limbs
Known for its intelligence, common octopuses have gone viral for tripping power supplies, squirting water and even escaping tanks
As heavy as a warthog and covered in slime – meet the baffling snake-like creature slithering through UK waters
The life cycle of the European eel involves one of nature’s most remarkable migration stories. Yet they are now critically endangered – and no one knows why
“We eat paella in Spain that might be 70% Scottish”. It’s time Britain started eating its own seafood
Trade disputes, red tape and warming seas; the UK fishing industry has weathered 50 years of upheaval. Does a new EU deal signal hope?
“An epic two-hour tug of war began.” This ocean giant is the size of a wardrobe and fetches an auction price of almost £1million
Walk along the UK’s coast in summer and you might encounter ocean giants the size of wardrobes erupting from the waters. Kevin Parr reports on the remarkable return of bluefin tuna to our shores
It may look like a snake and move like a snake - but don't be fooled. This is no snake...
In this BBC Countryfile Magazine guide, we delve into the secretive life of the slow worm, revealing information on how to identify them, where they live in the UK and what they eat.
From an animal the length of a double-decker bus to a bird that has a spoon for a beak, here are the 10 weirdest animals in Britain
Uncover the animal kingdom's hidden wonders
It death rolls prey, is longer than a bed and has a mysterious spawning method – meet the deep-sea giant that lurks in UK waters
This sea creature tucks away among reefs at depths of 200m – but has been known to spawn 3,000m deep
It's the length of a bathtub, can feign death and has a defensive spray that smells of rotten fish – meet Britain's largest snake
Growing up to 1.5 metres long, the grass snake is our largest native reptile. Find out what it looks like, where it lives and what it eats with BBC Countryfile Magazine's expert guide.
It weighs the same as two grizzly bears and can be aged like a tree – meet the ocean giant that hurtles through UK waters
After being almost wiped out in the 1960s, this incredible marine creature fish is making a comeback
This huge toxic plant fully deserves its fearsome reputation, for not only is it invasive, it also causes nasty burns to your skin
What is giant hogweed, what do its flowers and leaves look like and is it poisonous? Find out all this and more with our guide to this enormous member of the umbellifer family
