Arachnids
Arizona bark scorpion
Centruroides sculpturatus
The Arizona bark scorpion is a small, pale scorpion of the Sonoran Desert and the most venomous in the US. Size, climbing habits, young, venom and real risk.
Conservation status · 37 species
Not Evaluated animals
Animals not yet assessed for the IUCN Red List, mostly invertebrates such as spiders, scorpions, beetles, jellyfish and crabs, with key facts on each species.
Species profiles
Crustaceans
Atlantic blue crab
Callinectes sapidus
The Atlantic blue crab is a swimming crab of Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with blue claws and paddle legs. Its size, diet, molting and life cycle.
Insects
Atlas moth
Attacus atlas
The Atlas moth is a giant silk moth of Asian forests with a wingspan of about 25 cm. Its snake-head wingtips, mouthless adults, huge caterpillars and silk.
Other Invertebrates
Australian box jellyfish
Chironex fleckeri
The Australian box jellyfish is a cube-shaped, fast-swimming jellyfish of northern Australia with 60 tentacles, 24 eyes and a sting that can kill in minutes.
Arachnids
Brown recluse
Loxosceles reclusa
The brown recluse is a shy, six-eyed spider of the south-central US with a violin mark and tissue-damaging venom. Its real range, habits, life cycle and bites.
Arachnids
Carolina wolf spider
Hogna carolinensis
The Carolina wolf spider is North America's largest wolf spider, a burrowing night hunter with no web. Its size, range, eyeshine, egg sacs and real bite risk.
Other Invertebrates
Common earthworm
Lumbricus terrestris
The common earthworm, or nightcrawler, is a large European worm that digs burrows up to 2 m deep. Facts on its body, ten hearts, diet, mating and role in soil.
Arachnids
Common harvestman
Phalangium opilio
The common harvestman is a long-legged arachnid, not a spider: one-piece body, two eyes, no silk, no venom. Size, diet, range, life cycle and detachable legs.
Crustaceans
Common pill bug
Armadillidium vulgare
The common pill bug is a land crustacean, not an insect, that rolls into a ball and eats dead leaves. Facts on its looks, range, diet, breeding and lifespan.
Insects
Common wasp
Vespula vulgaris
The common wasp is Europe's black-and-yellow yellowjacket. Facts on its size, paper nests, one-year colony cycle, diet, sting and spread to New Zealand.
Arachnids
Deathstalker
Leiurus quinquestriatus
The deathstalker is a pale yellow desert scorpion of North Africa with one of the most potent scorpion venoms known. Size, range, hunting, young and real risk.
Insects
Desert locust
Schistocerca gregaria
The desert locust is a grasshopper that can switch from a shy loner to a swarming plague insect. Facts on its phases, swarms, diet, life cycle and upsurges.
Insects
Eastern subterranean termite
Reticulitermes flavipes
The eastern subterranean termite is North America's most widespread termite. Facts on its castes, swarmers, king and queen, colonies and its gut microbes.
Arachnids
European garden spider
Araneus diadematus
The European garden spider is a harmless orb weaver with a white cross on its back. Its size, webs, silk, autumn peak, risky courtship and life cycle explained.
Insects
European hornet
Vespa crabro
The European hornet is Europe's largest social wasp, up to 35 mm long. Facts on its colors, hollow-tree nests, insect hunting, night flights and sting risk.
Mollusks
Garden snail
Cornu aspersum
The garden snail is a brown land snail from the Mediterranean and western Europe, now found worldwide. Facts on its shell, diet, slime, mating and lifespan.
Arachnids
Giant house spider
Eratigena atrica
The giant house spider is a big, fast but harmless funnel weaver of European homes, also found in Canada and the US Northwest. Size, webs, speed and lifespan.
Arachnids
Goliath birdeater
Theraphosa blondi
The Goliath birdeater is the heaviest spider on Earth, a South American tarantula of up to 175 g (6.2 oz). Facts on its size, burrows, diet, hairs and lifespan.
Insects
Hercules beetle
Dynastes hercules
The Hercules beetle is the world's longest beetle, with males up to about 17 cm (7 in) including the horn. Facts on its horns, fights, color change and larvae.
Other Invertebrates
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
The house centipede has 15 pairs of long legs, runs about 0.4 m (1.3 ft) per second and hunts insects in homes. Its size, eyes, venom, range and lifespan.
Insects
House cricket
Acheta domesticus
The house cricket is a small brown cricket that lives around homes worldwide. Facts on how males chirp, ears on the legs, diet, life cycle and farming as food.
Crustaceans
Japanese spider crab
Macrocheira kaempferi
The Japanese spider crab has the longest legs of any arthropod, spanning up to 3.7 m (12 ft). Its size, deep home off Japan, diet, camouflage and life cycle.
Insects
Leafcutter ant
Atta cephalotes
The leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes farms fungus on chewed leaves in giant underground nests. Facts on its castes, colonies, range, fungus gardens and role.
Other Invertebrates
Magnificent sea anemone
Radianthus magnifica
The magnificent sea anemone is a large Indo-Pacific reef anemone and clownfish host. Its size, colors, algae partners, movement, bleaching and new name.
Other Invertebrates
Moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita
The moon jellyfish is a clear, saucer-shaped jelly with four ring-shaped gonads and a very mild sting. Its size, diet, life cycle, blooms and where it lives.
Insects
Northern giant hornet
Vespa mandarinia
The northern giant hornet, or Asian giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. Facts on its size, range, sting, honey bee raids and stay in North America.
Insects
Northern walkingstick
Diapheromera femorata
The northern walkingstick is a wingless stick insect of eastern North American woods. Its twig camouflage, leaf diet, falling eggs, outbreaks and giant kin.
Other Invertebrates
Ochre sea star
Pisaster ochraceus
The ochre sea star is the purple or orange starfish of North America's Pacific shores. Facts on its size, mussel diet, keystone role, lifespan and disease.
Crustaceans
Peacock mantis shrimp
Odontodactylus scyllarus
The peacock mantis shrimp is a colorful Indo-Pacific reef crustacean with a club strike of up to 23 m/s and complex eyes. Facts on size, diet, burrows and life.
Other Invertebrates
Portuguese man o' war
Physalia physalis
The Portuguese man o' war is a floating colony, not a jellyfish, with a gas-filled sail and stinging tentacles up to 30 m long. Size, diet, range and sting.
Other Invertebrates
Purple sea urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
The purple sea urchin is a spiny grazer of Pacific kelp forests and tide pools. Facts on its size, teeth, rock burrows, lifespan, predators and urchin barrens.
Insects
Sacred scarab
Scarabaeus sacer
The sacred scarab is a black ball-rolling dung beetle of the Mediterranean and North Africa, revered in ancient Egypt. Size, dung balls, larvae and range.
Insects
Seven-spot ladybug
Coccinella septempunctata
The seven-spot ladybug is a red beetle 5–8 mm long with seven black spots that hunts aphids. Its life cycle, defenses, winter clusters and spread to America.
Arachnids
Southern black widow
Latrodectus mactans
The southern black widow is a shy, glossy black spider of the southeastern US with a red hourglass and potent venom. Its size, web, life cycle and real risk.
Insects
Western honey bee
Apis mellifera
The western honey bee is a social bee that lives in colonies of up to 80,000. Facts on its queen, workers and drones, comb, waggle dance, honey and spread.
Arachnids
Zebra jumping spider
Salticus scenicus
The zebra jumping spider is a small black-and-white hunter of sunny walls in Europe and North America, with big eyes, sharp vision and accurate leaps.