Insects & Arachnids
30 entries in the Living Planet compendium.
Insects & Arachnids — Era Chart
Emperor ScorpionObsidian-clad and surprisingly docile: The scorpion that crushes rather than stings.Monarch ButterflyFire-and-shadow wings that outfly winter itself.Tarantula Hawk WaspA YouTuber and wildlife educator who intentionally lets venomous insects sting him, workinHoney BeeSmall bodies, vast purpose: weavers of survival in every bloom.DragonflyAncient aerial assassins that have ruled the skies since before the dinosaurs.Black Widow SpiderA shy, deadly hunter whose red hourglass warns of potent neurotoxic venom.CicadaThe earth's loudest insect, singing a chorus that echoes for weeks.Praying MantisA patient, camouflaged hunter that strikes with lightning speed.Stick InsectThe longest insects on Earth, slender but record-breaking.FireflyNature's living lanterns turning the summer night into a silent, glowing conversation.MosquitoTiny vectors of disease that sustain entire food webs.AntlionA patient architect buried in the sand, waiting for gravity to deliver its next meal.Atlas MothA giant of the night, its wings span wider than a human hand.LadybugTiny crimson sentinels that hunt aphids by the hundreds to shield our gardens from ruin.Hercules BeetleA contender for the heaviest insect, with a larval stage reaching at least 115 g.Common Fruit FlyTiny in size, but a giant leap for the understanding of life itself.Domestic SilkwormA flightless larva that weaves the world's most luxurious fabric from its own body.Yellow Fever MosquitoA mosquito found throughout the tropics and subtropics, spreading yellow fever in cities.Southern Black WidowA lethal sentinel haunting the quiet corners where prey gathers.Goliath BirdeaterThe world's heaviest spider, a burrow-dwelling giant of northern South America that rarelyBrown Recluse SpiderMarked by a fiddle on its back, striking only when trapped.Bold Jumping SpiderA tiny spider that hunts other spiders with cunning and detours.Periodical CicadaA 17-year underground slumber ends in a brief, noisy emergence.Common Stick InsectA living twig that defies detection through the art of perfect stillness.SilkwormA tiny, leaf-eating caterpillar that spun the threads connecting ancient empires.American CockroachA creature of persistent association with humans, often depicted as a vile and dirty pest.Seven-Spotted LadybugSeven spots of justice: A pint-sized armored hunter devouring pests by the thousands to saBlue Morpho ButterflyA living prism of blue that dazzles the eye and confuses the predator.Dung BeetleTiny giants that roll the world forward, turning waste into life one perfect sphere at a tLeafcutter AntThe essential pollinators of the world, from solitary specialists to honey-producing socia
Browse Insects & Arachnids in the interactive codex →