EASY READ Mini-beasts

Besides mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, there are other kinds of animals that live on land. They are mostly small, and some can fly. Some live in our homes, and some even...

EASY READ What is an insect?

Insects are invertebrates, animals without backbones. They have six jointed legs and a hard external skeleton. All insects have three main body parts: the head, the thorax and the...

EASY READ A to Z of insect families

EASY READ How do beetles live?

Beetles make up the largest group of insects. There are least 400,000 known kinds. There is a huge variety in colours and shapes. All beetles have wings. When they are not in...

EASY READ How do honeybees live?

Honeybees live in huge colonies of thousands of bees. The queen is the only bee that lays eggs. The male bees, called drones, do no work, but one will mate with the queen. The...

EASY READ How do ants live?

Ants have thin waists, long "elbowed" antennae and two strong jaws, called mandibles. They live in large colonies. An ants’ nest is a maze of tunnels and chambers under the...

EASY READ How do termites live?

Termites live in large colonies. Each nest has a single king and queen. They are served by blind workers and soldiers, who feed and protect the colony. Termites live in hot...

EASY READ What is the difference between butterflies and moths?

Butterflies fly during the daytime. They usually have antennae shaped like thin stalks. Most moths are night-flyers. Their antennae are usually feathery in shape. The wings of both...

EASY READ How do flies and mosquitoes live?

Flies have only one pair of wings, unlike all other insects which have two. Crane flies, gnats and mosquitoes are all kinds of fly. Instead of biting jaws, they have mouthparts...

EASY READ Why do spiders spin silk?

Spiders, scorpions and mites are not insects but arachnids. Insects have three pairs of legs and three body sections, while arachnids have four pairs of legs and two body sections...

EASY READ How do scorpions live?

Scorpions are types of arachnid. They have two sharp, grasping pincers and a venomous sting at the end of their tail. They use their sting both to paralyse (or kill) their prey and...

EASY READ What are mites and ticks?

Mites and ticks are tiny arachnids. They all have two body segments and eight legs. Mites live in soil, water and even inside other animals. Some feed on insects or blood, while...

EASY READ What are millipedes and centipedes?

Millipedes and centipedes are not insects, but myriapods. The name means “many legs”. Myriapods have long bodies made up of segments. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body...

EASY READ How do woodlice live?

Woodlice are small crustaceans, arthropods that have hard, segmented exoskeletons. They have two pairs of antennae and seven pairs of legs. Some kinds curl up into a ball when they...

EASY READ How do earthworms live?

Earthworms are long, thin, soft-bodied invertebrate animals that live in the soil. They have no legs, eyes or ears. Earthworms are shaped like bendy tubes divided into segments...

EASY READ How do slugs and snails live?

Slugs and snails are gastropods. This is a group of molluscs that have soft bodies and move about on one large foot. Slugs and snails have two pairs of feelers, called tentacles...

EASY READ Mini-beasts glossary