Insects & Invertebrates

Insects & Invertebrates

It looks like a gothic demon – complete with spiky horns – and has a bizarrely large, square aerodynamic head, which allows it to fly...

The sizeable forest insect that glides because its life depends on it
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Scariest spiders on the planet: 9 creepy arachnids that may send shivers down your spine

Here are some of the scariest spiders on the planet - but remember only a very few pose any real threat to humans, so rather than hate them, marvel at their prowess and ingenuity instead
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It burrows deep underground, has horns like a bull and is named after a terrifying Greek monster – meet this awesome minibeast

Deep in its labyrinth, a horned beast quietly works a kind of alchemy
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Do dragonflies bite or sting humans and can they be dangerous?

Can dragonflies bite? Can dragonflies sting? Are dragonflies dangerous? They're all common questions - read on to find out the answers!
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These are the biggest insects in the world, from a 60cm-long monster to one that weighs a hefty 70g

Given the sheer variety of insects in the world it is difficult to name the largest, says the charity Buglife, but here are our contenders for the world's biggest insects
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With deadly long jaws that drain their prey dry, this is one of the world’s most spine-chilling spiders — and it's known as a lethal assassin

How do damselflies mate?

7 key mating damselfly behaviour signs to look out for.

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Why do snails eat paper?

It might not be to our taste but snails seem to like it...
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Can spiders really be beautiful? Oh yes... meet the 5 prettiest spiders on the planet, from metallic-blue tarantulas to dancing peacock spiders

We take a look at the most colourful members of the spider family
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What's the strongest material produced by animals?

Animals can produce incredibly strong substances - so who makes the toughest?
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"He wrenches off one of the enormous organs with a loop of silk, a twist of the body and a sharp tug." The tiny creature that rips off his own gigantic sex organ

These male spiders have a tough life
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10 deadliest insects on the planet: Discover the world's most dangerous insects to humans, including one that's a major ingredient in 'love potions'

Small but deadly! From disease spreaders to stingers to voracious swarms, read all about the world’s most deadly and dangerous insects.
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How a giant, furry tarantula helped me overcome depression and anxiety —and why you should start loving these amazing arachnids too

How the unlikely pastime of tarantula-watching helped one woman overcome her anxiety
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Stripy animals with big eyes found on remote oil rig in North Sea. What they were carrying stuns researchers

Researchers found hundreds of tiny marmalade hoverflies on the remote rig, and most of them were carrying pollen – here's why that's important.
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There's a mysterious animal in the tropical forests of Panama that waves at predators – in a very scary way

The creature's strange leg-waving display has baffled scientists for years. Now they know why it does it...
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It’s as loud as an aeroplane but smaller than your thumb – so just how is this winged creature SO noisy?

Despite their small size, cicadas sure are noisy. So how do they produce such big sounds?
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What is the fastest flying insect? Meet the speed machines that can fly at 145km/h

How fast are the fastest flying insects? We take a look
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This bizarre ocean creature has 8 legs, looks like an alien and sucks up and spits out its prey after taking a tasty bite

Sea spiders are strange creatures, and the gangly lancer sea spider is one of the strangest of all
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It might only be 15cm long, but it can run at 16kph and its deadly jaws are one-third the length of its body and strong enough to shear through bone

Camel spiders may look intimidating, but they don’t actually eat camels.
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It might look like a beautiful flower but it's actually a deadly predator... Meet one very unlikely-looking, cold-hearted mass killer

For pollen-seekinginsects this is one deadly predator
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When spider scientists went into a Taiwanese forest at night, they discovered a deadly trap

The researchers observed nocturnal spiders exploiting the natural light of fireflies to draw unsuspecting prey into their webs.
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12 weirdest insects in the world - including a moth that resembles a poodle and a fly with eyes on stalks

The insect world is definitely a weird one - and there are some that are even weirder than the others. Discover some of the world's strangest and bizarrest insects
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Why do dragonflies and damselflies have such big eyes?

Entomologist Richard Jones discusses the large eyes of these predatory insects.
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It has 8 legs, isn't a spider and has sharp pincer claws on the front of their head – much like a scorpion – which they hunt and kill with

Although they look like spiders, harvestmen are more closely related to scorpions says Richard Jones
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