Land invertebrates

In every house, garden, field or forest on Earth, there is a world of activity that we seldom notice. On the ground, in the soil, in the air and in the water live many small...

Centipedes

Centipedes are carnivorous predators. Along with millipedes, they belong to the group of arthropods called myriapods ("many legs"). Centipedes scuttle along quickly on long...

Earthworms

Earthworms are long, thin, soft-bodied invertebrates with no legs, eyes or ears that live in the soil. They are a kind of segmented worm: worms whose bodies are divided into...

Millipedes

Along with centipedes, millipedes belong to the group of arthropods called myriapods ("many legs"). They have short, strong legs for burrowing slowly through soil or leaves, moving...

Mites and ticks

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

Scorpions

Scorpions are types of arachnids with venomous stings at the end of their tails and sharp, grasping pincers either side of their jaws. They are solitary, nocturnal hunters, using...

Slugs and snails

Slugs and snails are gastropods, a group of molluscs with soft bodies that move about on one large foot. They move by alternately shortening then stretching their bodies. Slugs and...

Spiders

Spiders are a type of arachnid. They have eight legs and two grasping "limbs", called pedipalps. Spiders rely more on sound than sight. Most species have bristles on their legs...

Spiders A-Z

Tarantulas

Tarantulas are mostly large, hairy spiders, although some species are as small as fingernails. They feed mostly on insects, but larger species can kill lizards or rodents. Some...

Woodlice

Woodlice are small crustaceans—arthropods with a hard, segmented exoskeleton, known as a cuticle, and two pairs of antennae. Woodlice have seven pairs of legs. They live in cool...