Invertebrate

42 objects

Meet the boneless wonders — from ocean-dwelling marvels to tiny backyard creatures.

Invertebrates make up over 95% of all animal species and have evolved some of the most inventive body plans in nature. Octopuses can change colour and texture in milliseconds, solve puzzles, and squeeze through gaps barely wider than their eyeballs. Jellyfish have no brain, heart, or blood yet have drifted through Earth's oceans for over 500 million years. Crabs carry their skeletons on the outside and must moult to grow, while starfish can regenerate entire limbs. From the coral colonies that build the largest living structures on Earth to the humble earthworm that aerates our soil, invertebrates are the hidden engine of every ecosystem.

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41 with scientific names