INVERTEBRATES

Why Don’t We Want to ‘Open a Can of Worms’?

Opening a can of worms, metaphorically speaking, is trying to solve a problem and ending up in more trouble. And the idiom really does refer to actual worms.

Bummer: A Brain-Infesting Worm in Rats Can Also Attack Humans

The CDC is giving people a very good reason to wash their produce.

Bees Are Now Legally Fish in California—And That’s Good News for Bees

Thanks in part to a snail, California bees are fish. No, this isn’t a Mad Lib.

Eumillipes persephone has legs and knows how to use them.

It's Official: With 1306 Legs, This Millipede Has the Most of Any Animal

Found 200 feet below ground in Australia, 'Eumillipes persephone' has 1306 legs to scamper around with.

Giant African land snail shells are about the size of an adult human's fist.

10 Huge Facts About Giant African Land Snails

The first thing you notice about giant African land snails is that they're ginormous. The second thing is that they're not limited to Africa.

An illustration of a woolly mammoth, blissfully unaware of its species impending doom.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)

Octopuses never have to say a farewell to arms for long.

On a Limb: How an Octopus Regrows Its Arms

The cephalopod is strikingly intelligent, but its most spectacular talent may be its ability to fully regrow arms lost to predators.

Who wouldn't be screaming in this situation?

Why Are Humans Afraid of Bugs?

Our ancestors may have predisposed us to fear spiders, insects, and other many-legged creatures, but there's a lot more to it.

Scientists Put 3D Glasses on Cuttlefish and Find Out They Use Human-Like Depth Perception to Hunt Prey

3D movies of shrimp were involved, too—all in the name of seeing if cuttlefish use stereopsis like we do.

jkirkhart35, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Need More Penis Fish In Your Life? A California Aquarium Has a Livestream

After thousands of 'penis fish,' or fat innkeeper worms, washed up on the shores of California, one aquarium decided to give people an up-close-and-personal look at the phallic annelid via livestream.

Kate Montana, iNaturalist // CC BY-NC 4.0

Why Thousands of 'Penis Fish' Washed Up on a California Beach

'Urechis caupo' bears a striking resemblance to a specific part of male human anatomy, but the species is usually hidden underground. Something brought them to the surface.

Journey to the Monarch Mosh Pit

Each fall, millions of migrating monarchs return to Mexico to wait out winter. The gathering makes Woodstock look like a business conference. Here’s how they get there.

Scientists Capture Video of Deepstaria, a Rarely Seen, Shapeshifting Jellyfish

In the video, the Deepstaria jellyfish hovers like a ghost before unfurling its billowing bell, giving scientists aboard the 'Nautilus' a rare look at the illusive species.

Bees: Waugsberg via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 / Thought balloon: Noto Project

Honeybees Go "Whoop!" When They Bump Into Each Other

They make the adorable sound with their wings when they're startled. You can listen to them for yourself.

Wasps Have the Ability to Use Logic, According to a New Study

Wasps not only pack a sting. They can also exhibit a kind of logical deduction never before seen in invertebrates.

For the First Time, Scientists Find Jellyfish-Like Animal With ‘Transient’ Anus

The warty comb jelly forms an anus only when it needs to defecate, and it may hold clues to how the anus evolved millions of years ago.

The Weird, Disturbing World of Snail Sex

It involves something called a "love dart," and it's less romantic than it sounds.

Hero Crayfish Cheats Death By Removing Its Own Claw to Escape Pot of Boiling Water

The clever crustacean is the Houdini of the animal kingdom.

Carnivorous Hammerhead Flatworms Are Invading France

Some species contain the same neurotoxin found in pufferfish.

Drone Captures Massive Swarm of Jellyfish Off British Columbia That Weighs More Than 70 Tons

The bloom could include more than 150,000 jellies.

Tom Houslay, Flickr Creative Commons // CC BY-NC 2.0

Scientists Catch Tiny Jumping Spiders Eating Frogs and Lizards

Eight legs, eight eyes, no fears.

The Tardigrade’s Extraordinary Weirdness Continues

The tough, tiny, many-legged creatures may be related to "wormy things."

Courtesy of the Chemo III project, BOEM, and NOAA OER

These Deep-Sea Worms Could Live More Than a Thousand Years

The tubeworms, found in the deepest waters of the Gulf of Mexico, regularly reach 250 to 300 years old.

Mantises Regularly Catch and Feast On Birds, NBD

We’re talking hummingbirds, not eagles, but still.