Hairy Scorpion

Hadrurus arizonensis

Meet the largest Scorpion in North America-- the Hairy Scorpion. These arachnids can grow over 5in long, and their large size makes them quite the predator within their desert habitat. They feed on smaller invertebrates (including other Scorpions) and will even hunt snakes, lizards, and small vertebrates as well.

Hairy Scorpions are named for the dark brown hairs that cover the backs of their otherwise yellow-ish bodies. Their coloration helps them to blend in with the dry environment that they live in. You'll find these Scorpions in the Mojave and Sonora Deserts.

The large pincers on these arachnids are used for more than just grasping at food. These guys are excellent burrowers, and can dig tunnels that are more than 2m in length. They hang out in them during the daytime, emerging at night to hunt.

Even though they are large in size, the Hairy Scorpions shouldn't frighten you. Their sting is venomous, but tends to be no worse than a beesting for the average person.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North America
Size : Length around 5.5in (14cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Scorpiones
Family : Caraboctonidae -- Genus : Hadrurus -- Species : H. arizonensis
Image :  Fritz Geller Grimm

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Belgica antarctica

Belgica antarctica

Did you know that insects do live on Antarctica? You may have assumed that the cold weather would scare the tiny invertebrates away from the continent, but you would've assumed wrong! Today's animal is one of a handful of little Arthropods that make our southernmost landmass home year round.

Belgica antarctica has the important distinction of being the largest terrestrial-only inhabitant of Antarctica-- at a whopping 6mm in length! These insects have some seriously amazing adaptations that allow them to survive in the hard environment-- they can go without oxygen for several weeks, they can survive their bodily fluids freezing, and they are able to produce specific compounds that keep that freezing to a minimum.

Warm temperatures are actually harmful to B. antarctica. They need to stay close to freezing in order to thrive. If it gets too cold though, they are in trouble. Luckily, they spend nearly all of their time just under the surface of the snow, which keeps the heat to within a few degrees of freezing.

Belgica antarctica can live up to 2 years, and spends most of that time in four different larval stages. As adults their lifespan in very short-- only around 10 days. They live just long enough to mate and lay eggs before dying.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Antarctica
Size : Length up to 6mm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Diptera
Family : Chironomidae -- Genus : Belgica-- Species : B. antarctica
Image :  Richard Lee

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Indrella ampulla

Indrella ampulla

Today we meet yet another creature endemic to the Western Ghats-- Indrella ampulla.

It is the only species within its genus, but it comes in all sorts of different colors and varieties. Yellow is a very common body color, but it can be bright red, black and white as well. The shell is dark in color, normally contains three whorls, and typically meaures no more than 2in in diameter.

Indrella ampulla lives in mountainous rainforests. There, they feed on different Fungi varieties, using their radula that contain more than 100 rows of tiny teeth!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : India
Size : Shell width up to 2in (6cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda
Family : Ariophantidae -- Genus : Indrella -- Species : I. ampulla
Image :  NHM

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Craspedacusta sowerbii

Craspedacusta sowerbii

Did you know that there are Jellyfish that don't live in the ocean? Now you do!

Today's species is Craspedacusta sowerbii, and it is found in calm freshwater bodies of water, like lakes, reservoirs, and slow moving rivers and streams.

These Jellyfish have actually have a distribution that spans the entire globe. They have been located on nearly every continent (sorry Antarctica) and in almost every single U.S. State. However, you won't see them constantly-- they pop up randomly, sometimes in bodies of water where they have never been seen before!

Craspedacusta sowerbii is able to move from place to place because during colder months their polyps contract and become podocysts. These Podocysts attach to other plants and animals that carry the Jellyfish to new places. And because they reproduce asexually, they are able to massively expand their populations very quickly.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa
Size : Diameter around 1in
Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Hydrozoa -- Order : Limnomedusae
Family : Olindiidae -- Genus : Craspedacusta-- Species : C. sowerbii
Image : Microscopy-UK

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Snowberry Clearwing

Hemaris diffinis

The Snowberry Clearwing is a species that belongs to a group collectively known as "Hummingbird Moths."

You can identify this particular species by it's furry yellow and black banded body that can be anywhere from 1-2 inches in length. They also have wings that appear to be clear, due to a lack of scales (hence the common name).

Snowberry Clearwings live in most of the United States, and in parts of western Canada. As pupae they feed plants like Snowberry and Honeysuckle. As adults they drink nectar, hovering in place like a Hummingbird. They are most commonly seen during the daytime hours.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 2in (6cm)
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae -- Genus : Hemaris -- Species : H. diffinis
Image : Lonniehuffman

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Chinese Mitten Crab

Eriocheir sinensis

Today we're going to learn about the Chinese Mitten Crab-- a Crustacean named for its large, furry front claws.

You may not think too much about the environmental impacts this crab, whose body is about the size of a fist, but they are actually a very troublesome invasive species! Chinese Mitten Crabs are native to eastern Asia, but they have now spread to Europe and North America as well.

Chinese Mitten Crabs are troublesome because they make large migrations, displacing native species at every step of the journey. They breed in the oceans, grow up in freshwater rives, and hatch in estuaries. Due to their movements they can even be found hundreds of miles from the sea! In all of those different habitats the Crabs compete with native species for food and burrows. They also damage fishing nets, and have caused that industry to lose great amounts of money.

Not everyone is frustrated with the Chinese Mitten Crabs though-- they are a delicacy in parts of China and some can sell for over $100 a kilogram!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Native to Asia
Size : Carapace up to 4in (10cm) in diameter
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Malacostraca -- Order : Decapoda
Family : Varunidae -- Genus : Eriocheir -- Species : E. sinensis
Image : NHM

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Limax maximus

Limax maximus

Meet Limax maximus, also known as the Leopard Slug. These Gastropods are some of the largets Slugs int he world, and can grow up to 8in long.

It is pretty easy to see where these Slugs got their feline-inspired common name. They have brown bodies that are covered with darker, leopard-like spots. There are actually several different color types, ranging from very pale, to red, to dark, but all have the spots.

Limax maximus originally hailed from Europe and possibly western Africa. However, they have spread very far from home and are now common in North America, South America, and even New Zealand.

You'll find these slugs near humans-- they like to eat trash and other decaying matter, and they normally feed at night. Unfortunately, they also like to feast on young living plants as well, which is why they are considered an invasive pest in the United States, where they feed on crops.

Like all slugs, Limax maximus individuals are hermaphrodites. When they mate, two slugs will circle each other (sometimes for hours and hours) and then eventually climb a tree. The pair will then dangle from the tree by a thick strand a mucus, and it is then that they trade sperm with each other. Each slug will then go on to lay its own eggs.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Body Length up to 8in (20cm)
Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Limacoidea
Family : Limacidae -- Genus : Limax-- Species : L. maximus
Image : max0rz

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Pacific Cleaner Shrimp

Lysmata amboinensis

The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is a Crustacean of many, many names. Their list of alias includes the Skunk, Scarlet, and Northern Cleaner Shrimp (because of their location and identification).

The "Cleaner" part comes from the fact that these small, 2in long Shrimp feed on dead tissue, debris, and parasites of much larger aquatic species. In fact, larger fish are known to seek out the reefs that the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp live on, just so the shrimp can help to  get rid of trobulesome parasites! They will even go inside of a fishes' mouth!

Pacific Cleaner Shrimp are found in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They live relatively close to the surface, hanging out in the coral reefs.

Amazingly, every single Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is born male. As they age they go through metamorphosis and molt, and eventually becoming hermaphrodites.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Tropical Indo-Pacific Waters
Size : Length up to 2in (6cm)
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Malacostraca -- Order : Decapoda
Family : Hippolytidae -- Genus : Lysmata-- Species : L. amboinensis
Image : Chris Moody

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Seven-arm Octopus

Haliphron atlanticus

The Seven-arm Octopus has a misleading name. They do actually have eight arms, like all Octopuses do, it's just that one of the arms (the hectocotylus, used for egg fertilization) is often curled up on the males' bodies, making it difficult to see. Females of the species do that have that issue.

Seven-arm Octopuses live in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. It was believed to live only in the former until about fifteen years ago, when one was caught off the coast of New Zealand. Interestingly, these creatures have also been found at both the sea floor AND near the surface, which is unusual for Octopuses.

The species is also notable because they are quite large. In fact, they are the largest Octopuses in the world, and can measure over 11ft in length!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Size : Length up to 11ft (3.5m)
Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Cephalopoda -- Order : Octopoda
Family : Alloposidae -- Genus : Haliphron -- Species : H. atlanticus
Images : RL Hudson

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Ox Beetle

The Ox Beetle is a species of Rhinoceros Beetle that can be found in North, Central, and South America. They are medium-sized for their subfamily-- only growing to about 4cm in length, as opposed to their largest cousins which can be half a foot long! Interestingly though, they are still one of the largest Beetles in North America.

Ox Beetles  are sexually dimorphic, with males having much larger horns. There are actually two different types of male-- one with very large horns (the "major" variety) and one with shorter, stubbier ones ("minor").

Both sexes are great diggers, and they even bury their eggs underground. The Beetles typically stay in their larval stage for about a year, and during that time they feed on decaying vegetation. As adults they will only live 4-6 months (typically during summertime), and spend that time breeding and eating leaves and fruit.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North and South America
Size : Length up to 4cm
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Scarabaeidae -- Genus : Strategus-- Species : S. aloeus
Image : Shawn Hanrahan

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Dark Sword-grass

Meet the Dark Sword-grass, a moth that can be found in temperate regions all around the world, and which also happens to be quite the pest while in its larval stage.

Many moth species stick to a specific plant-type while in their larval stage. Not so for this insect! They feed on grasses, weeds, fruits, grains, vegetables, and many, many other plants. Understandably, they can be quite the pest in agricultural areas. They like to feed on the crops near ground level, which can very quickly kill the plant!

As adults they are far less damaging-- they consume flower nectar. Their adult stage also has the interesting distinction of being one of the fastest flying insects! They can sustain ground speeds of 70mph!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide
Size : Wingspan up to 5cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Noctuidae -- Genus : Agrotis -- Species : A. ipsilon

Image : M. Virtala

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Julia Butterfly

The Julia Butterfly is an insect with a very large range that spreads from the southern United States all the way down to Brazil. They are residents in most of their range, though in the U.S. they sometimes move north to Midwestern states during the summer.

Both male and female Julia Butterflies are orange, though the males are more vibrant. They have a black border that runs around the edge of the wing, though the exact pattern varies with the subspecies.

You'll find Julia Butterflies living in grasslands and near forest edges. They are fast flyers, and as adults they scurry about in the daytime in search of both mates, and nectar to feed on. As caterpillars they consume Passion Vines.

Julia Butterflies are not listed by the IUCN, but they are abundant through most of their range. The population only really dips when it gets to the fringe areas.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North and South America
Size : Wingspan up to 9cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae -- Genus : Dryas -- Species : D. iulia

Image : A Machado

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Banana Slug

Ariolimax spp.

There are three different species that are known as Banana Slugs, and all belong to the genus Ariolimax. All three also happen to live near the Pacific Coast of North America, inhabiting the rainy coniferous forests that run from Alaska to California.

Banana Slugs get their name from their bright yellow color, though yellow is not the only color they come in. Some are green, others are brown, and some even have dark spots (sounds like the various stages of a ripening banana to me!) One of the species, the Pacific Banana Slug, is the second largest slug in the world, and can grow as long as 10 inches.

These slugs live on the forest floors, moving slowly as slugs do. In a minute they can cover almost half a foot of distance! They consume all kinds of detritus and decomposing matter, and by doing so help to fertilize their environment.

Banana Slugs aren't just important contributors to their environment-- they are a college mascot too! In 1986 the University of California, Santa Cruz selected the slug, which can be found in nearby forests, to be its official mascot. Sammy the Slug represents them to this day!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Pacific Coast of North America
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda
Family : Ariolimacidae -- Genus : Ariolimax

Image : National Park Service

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Ammonite

Ammonite Model

Ammonite Fossil

Today we are going to talk about an entire Subclass of animals known as Ammonites. These shelled sea creatures lived for millions of years before going extinct along with the Dinosaurs during the late Cretaceous.

Between 240 and 65 million years ago, Ammonites could be found throughout the Oceans of the World. They ranged in size, depending on species, with the largest having shells that could grow as large as 1m in diameter. Ammonite fossils are more abundant than those of just about any other creature, since they lived for so many years and in so many places.

Ammonites lived in schools and hunted smaller sea creatures. They consumed their prey through a beak-like mouth hidden among its tentacles.

Ammonites most likely moved around by shooting water from spouts in their bodies. Their actual lifestyle is pretty speculative though, because unlike other prehistoric invertebrates (like Nautelids), the Ammonites have no living relatives.

A final fun fact to start the weekend? The name Ammonite comes from "Amun," an Egyptian god who was frequently depicted wearing spiraled horns (similar to the shell pattern).

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Status : Extinct for 65 million years
Location : Oceans worldwide
Size : Varies, up to 1m in shell diameter

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Cephalopoda -- Subclass : †Ammonoidea
Images : Lmbuga Commons , Rept0n1x

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Purple-striped Jelly

Chrysaora colorata

The Purple-striped Jelly is a large Jellyfish that is named for the violet radial strip
es that cover its bell. They can be found off of the coast of California, primarily in the Monterey Bay area.

These Jellies can grow to a pretty good size-- their bell diameter can measure upwards of two feet! As adults they have the aforementioned Bell Stripes, but as juveniles they have a more subdued coloration, with very dark tentacles. As the Jelly ages, the bell stripes appear but the tentacles lighten in color. And did you know that Purple-striped Jellies often have hitchhikers-- certain species of Cancer crab will hitch rides in the bell!

These critters are popular in Aquariums, but they never really reach the large sizes that are found in the wild.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Coastal California
Size : Bell up to 2.3ft (.7m) in diameter

Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Scyphozoa Order : Semaeostomeae
Family : Pelagiidae -- Genus : Chrysaora -- Species  : C. colorata

Image : Captmondo

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Eurypterus

Eurypterus sp.

The world of the Silurian period was very different from the world of today. Most noticeably, there were no land animals. All of the living animals could be found underwater, populating the oceans that covered many of our present continents.

In these oceans you could find all sorts of primitive life. Bony fish were just starting to make their appearance on the evolutionary timeline, for example. You could also find a massive array of invertebrates, including the members of the genus we'll be learning about today-- Eurypterus.

Eurypterus includes 15 different species of Sea Scorpion, all of whom lived between 432 and 418 million years ago. Their fossils have been uncovered in what is now eastern North America and Europe, and interestingly the first fossils dug up were confused for Catfish bones!

When we think about Scorpions today, we imagine small arachnids that are about the size of your hand. Eurypterus was much, MUCH larger. On average, the different species measured 1-2ft in length. However, the largest fossil showed a creature that was over 4ft long!

Eurypterus had a body made up of two segments-- the prosoma and the opisthosoma. The former contains the head, thorax, and appendages that are used for walked, eating, and swimming. The latter is segmented and contains the gills and reproductive organs.

Members of the genus were opportunistic feeders-- they both hunted and scavenged. While they could swim using their large paddle-like appendages, they did not swim in order to hunt. Eurypterus walked along the sea floor when it was searching for food.

The Eurypterus genus only lasted for 14 million years, which is a short amount of time when compared to other members of its Order. Amazingly though, despite that short amount of time they are the most represented Eurypterids in the fossil record-- nearly 95%!

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Status : Extinct for 418 million years
Location : Europe, North America
Size : Length up to 4.3ft (1.3m)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Merostomata -- Order : †Eurypterida
Family : †Eurypteridae -- Genus : †Eurypterus

Image : Funkmonk

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Royal Starfish

Astropecten articulatus

Today's animal is the Royal Starfish, an Echinoderm that gets its name from it's royal purple coloration. These five armed creatures sport bright orange marginal plates, with a deep blue or purple interior. Quite the color combination!

The eastern coast of the United States is where the Royal Starfish calls home. Their normal habitat is the continental shelf, typically between 0 and 30 meters down.

It can be hard to imagine such a sedentary creature being a predator, but the Royal Starfish certainly is! They snatch up mollusks with their arms, and then guide the prey to the mouth cavity, where the prey is swallowed whole!

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IUCN Status : Not listed
Location : East coast of the United States
Size : Arm length up to 4in (9cm)

Classification : Phylum : Echinodermata -- - Class : Asteroidea -- Order : Paxillosida
Family : Astropectinidae -- Genus : Astropecten -- Species : A. articulatus
Image : Project Noah

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Goliath Birdeater

Theraphosa blondi

If spiders make you squeamish, you might not want to read much further (though I hope you do!). This spider is... well... really, really big. Like, the size of your hand big.

Goliath Birdeaters have legspans that can reach nearly a foot across, so the Goliath name is well earned. However, despite the name and gigantic size they normally consume insects, and birds are only consumed on rare occasions!

You can find these monster Spiders living in the northern rainforests of South America. They live on the ground, and build burrows for themselves that can go deep into the ground. It will take them several years to reach full maturity, and males have MUCH shorter lifespans than females (who can live up to 25 years!) Part of that probably has to do with the fact that females are known to kill their mates after breeding-- yikes!

Happily, though the Goliath Birdeaters are venomous, their venom is not particularly dangerous to humans. Also, even if they do bite you (normally in self defense) they probably won't even inject any venom.

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IUCN Status : Not Evaluated
Location : South America
Size : Leg span up to 11in (28cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Araneae
Family : Theraphosidae -- Genus : Theraphosa -- Species : T. blondi
Image : R. Somma

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17 Year Cicada

Magicicada septendecim

There are a handful of Cicacads known as "periodicals," and the 17 Year is the largest and most northern living of the group.

These insects get their name from their long and unusual life cycle. For seventeen years you will never see them. The entire population will live underground as Juveniles, and then all at once they emerge as adults to breed and start the cycle over. And interestingly, though they live nearly two decades as juveniles, their adult life lasts only a few weeks-- just long enough to breed and lay eggs.

The timing of the cycle depends on the specific population. For example, one brood near by home state appeared way back in 2002, while another was more recent in 2007. One of the New England broods is even scheduled for 2013. People in North America have been tracking these Cicadas since 1715!

Unfortunately, their long reproductive cycle puts them in conservation trouble. If something were to happen to a brood it could be totally disastrous. For this reason they are listed as Near Threatened.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 1.5in (4cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hemiptera
Family : Cicadidae -- Genus : Magicicada-- Species : M. septendecim
Image : Martin Hauser

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Timema Stick Insects

Timema genevieve

Timema is the genus name for a group of 20-odd stick insects that are all found within the western United States. Most of these species live in the state of California, and a few others are found in neighboring states.

Like all Stick Insects, the members of the Timema genus are all very well camouflaged. They resemble small, stout, sticks and branches, and range in color and size depending on the species. All of these critters are nocturnal, so their coloration is especially important since they need to hide out and rest during the daytime. At night they come out to feed on different shrubs and trees.

One absolutely remarkable feature of this genus is that it is the earliest, most basal branch of the living Stick Insect groups. This means that they have a few very primitive traits that are all their own. For one, their legs only have three segments, instead of five. Secondly, about 1/4 of the species are asexual, and are able to reproduce through Parthenogenesis (females lay eggs that do not need to be fertilized by males). Two of the species exclusively reproduce asexually, and have been doing so for over a million years!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : United States
Size : Varies

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Phasmatodea
Family : Timematidae -- Genus : Timema
Image : Paradise Reserve

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