Mammals

Mammals are a class of vertebrates characterised by warm-blood, hairy bodies,

a four-chambered heart, a single jaw bone, sweat glands and - in females - mammary
glands for suckling young. Some mammals, such as naked mole rats and whales have
lost some or all of their hair. Almost all mammals give birth to live young, but there are a
few that lay eggs. These are known as monotremes, and include the platypus.
 South American
Grey Fox

South American grey foxes are widespread throughout Patagonia and western Argentina. They
prefer to live in the foothills of coastal mountain ranges and in forest edge habitats. Foxes pair up and
maintain their territory throughout the year. Mating is monogamous and both the males and females are
actively care for the young. These little foxes are omnivorous, but their diet changes seasonally. They are
native to South America, but have been introduced to the Falkland Islands.
Scientific name: Lycalopex griseus
Common names: Argentine grey fox, Chilla, Grey Zorro, Patagonian fox

Arctic
Fox

Arctic foxes live in some of the planet's most extreme conditions. An arsenal of cold-conquering
adaptations helps them survive temperatures that plummet below -50 degrees Celsius. These include the
animal kingdom's best insulating fur and increased blood circulation to the feet which stops the fox's paws
freezing to the ice. They range far and wide in the arctic and alpine tundra, but home dens are important
and may be used for centuries by subsequent generations. Lemmings are such an important part of their
diet that arctic fox populations can be greatly affected by their availability.
Scientific name: Alopex lagopus
Common names: Polar fox, Snow fox, White fox

Tree
Kangaroo

Tree kangaroos have evolved from a ground-dwelling, hopping ancestor to a specialist for life in
the trees. Compared to monkeys and squirrels, their climbing skills can sometimes seem a bit clumsy, but
as they have no competition from other tree-climbing mammals, or threats from arboreal predators, they
don't need to be as agile.
Scientific name: Dendrolagus
 Blue
Wildebeest

Blue wildebeest form part of the largest remaining aggregation of large land mammals. The need
to follow seasonal rains and fresh grazing leads to the famously vast Serengeti-Masai Mara migration.
The rains also signal a brief period when nearly all blue wildebeest calves are born. The calves can stand
within six minutes of birth and follow their mother within 15 - a necessary survival strategy, as having this
many young in one place makes a bountiful feast for savannah predators.
Scientific name: Connochaetes taurinus
Common names: Brindled gnu, White-bearded wildebeest

Malayan
Colugo

Colugos are little-known, forest-dwelling animals that have huge gliding membranes, similar to
flying squirrels. This enables them to make spectacular leaps from tree to tree in the Asian rainforests.
Scientific name: Galeopterus variegatus
Common names: Malayan flying lemur, Sunda flying lemur

Musk
Ox

Musk oxen are truly arctic animals, well-adapted to their extreme environment with a superbly
insulated, long, thick coat of dark brown hair and woolly undercoat. They became extinct across much of
their range in Europe and Alaska, largely as a result of over-hunting, but have been successfully
reintroduced.
Scientific name: Ovibos moschatus
 Three-toed
Sloths

The three-toed sloth's lethargic life revolves around sleeping and eating, and most energy is
expended descending trees to go to the toilet. Often described as having a body built to hang, they look
like bundles of leaves, partly owing to their silent stillness and partly because their fur contains a
camouflaging algae. Of the four species, which are found hanging around in the rainforests of South
America, one - the critically endangered pygmy three-toed sloth - is found only on a tiny five square
kilometre island off the coast of Panama.
Scientific name: Bradypus

Amazon River
Dolphin

Pink, blue or albino, the Amazon river dolphin is the most distinctive of the five river dolphins. It
has a ridge along its back rather than a dorsal fin and its fat, heavy body is surprisingly flexible. Paddle-
like flippers which move in a circular motion provide exceptional maneuverability, making up for a lack of
speed. The Amazon and Orinoco river basins provide all the food in its highly diverse diet, including at
least 40 different species of fish. It relies on echolocation to find prey in the muddy waters. Males can
reach two and a half metres in length, making them the largest of the river dolphins. This is unusual as in
the other four species, the females are the larger sex. Amazon river dolphins have few natural predators,
but caimans, anacondas and jaguars have been known to take them.
Scientific name: Inia geoffrensis
Common names: Boto, Bouto, Pink dolphin, Pink river dolphin

Rorquals

The rorquals are a genus of baleen whales containing eight species, the only other species in
the rorqual family is the humpback whale. They range in size from the 150 tonne blue whale, the largest
animal to have ever lived, to the relatively small nine tonne minke whale. Rorquals use baleen plates to
filter out krill and small fish from large gulps of water. They sometimes use an extreme lunge feeding
technique on bait balls of fish. They are found in all the world's oceans.
Scientific name: Balaenoptera
 Reptiles
The reptiles are a class of vertebrates. Characteristically they are cold-blooded,
have dry scaly or horny skin and a four-chambered heart. Most reptiles lay eggs with
leathery shells, but a few types bear live young. Because they are cold-blooded,
reptiles are more common in the tropics than in temperate regions and are not found in
polar areas.
 Agamas

Agamas are the most common genus of lizard found in Africa. Dominant males in this genus turn
their skin bright blue and orange, whereas subordinate males and those that have been recently scared
will be a dull brown in colour.
Scientific name: Agama

Frilled Lizard

Frilled lizards are one of Australia's oddest-looking lizard species. Their huge frill, which can be
30cm across, seems to be mostly for display. Both sexes have frills, but males use them when threatened
or when they encounter other males in their territory, especially during the breeding season. In spite of
their ferocious appearance, frilled lizards feed largely on insects.
Scientific name: Chlamydosaurus kingii
Common names: Frill-necked lizard, Frilled dragon

Slow Worm

Slow worms look superficially like snakes, but are actually legless lizards. One way to identify
them is to see if they have eyelids. Lizards (and therefore slow worms) do while snakes are lidless.
Scientific name: Anguis fragilis
Common names: Blindworm
 Flat-tailed
Gecko

Flat-tailed geckos are some of Madagascar's most unusual creatures. Aided by clever colouration
and light-reflecting body modifications, these magnificent lizards make themselves almost invisible by
day. Some species become indistinguishable from decayed leaves and others simply blend in to the tree
bark. At night, however, they emerge from their cover to feast on insects. The 10 or so species are found
only in the forests of Madagascar, where habitat loss has put wild populations under severe pressure.
Scientific name: Uroplatus
Common names: Leaf-tailed geckos

Galapagos
Land Iguana

Galápagos land iguanas are a part of the Galápagos Islands’ unique fauna. They were once
present in such large numbers that in 1835 Darwin could not find a site free from burrows to pitch a tent.
Today this island is called Santiago and not a single land iguana is to be found there. Due to the dry and
arid conditions on these volcanic islands, Galápagos land iguanas obtain most of their food and moisture
from the pads, fruits and even spines of the prickly pear cactus. These large, heavily built lizards sport a
spikey crest running along the neck and back; they can be over a metre long.
Scientific name: Conolophus subcristatus
Common names: land iguana

Komodo
Dragon

The name and appearance of the Komodo dragon is straight out of legend. In reality these are
huge, heavily-built monitor lizards - the biggest lizards in the world. The largest accurately recorded
dragon was 3.1m long and a weighty 166kg. It was once thought that Komodos used deadly saliva
containing toxic bacteria to poison their prey. Studies have now shown that they are venomous. Glands in
the jaw secrete a complex mix of toxic substances into a wound made by the dragon's teeth. Komodo
dragons are at the top of the food chain on their Indonesian island homes of Komodo, Rinca and Flores.
Scientific name: Varanus komodoensis
 Monocled
Cobra

Monocled cobras are famed for their magnificent hood, which sports circular markings that
resemble eyes. They are timid and yet very dangerous snakes, with a powerful toxin that can prove fatal if
not treated. What makes the monocled cobra especially dangerous is the way they repeatedly strike
when excited - injecting more deadly venom. Their proximity to villages and cities accounts for the large
number of people bitten each year. Reaching a modest two metres in length, monocled cobras prey on
the rodents, amphibians and reptiles of Southeast Asia.
Scientific name: Naja kaouthia
Rank: Species
Common names: Monocellate cobra

Radiated
Tortoise

With brilliant yellow lines radiating from the centre of each shell plate, radiated tortoises are
definitely one of the world's most beautiful tortoises. Their breeding season can be quite a noisy affair as
rival males try their best to roll each other over and out of action. The winner gets to mate with a female,
after he has checked her out by sniffing her rear, no less. Radiated tortoises occur naturally only in the
extreme southern dry thorn and tropical forests of Madagascar. Critically endangered, they are under
pressure from habitat loss, poaching for food and exploitation in the pet trade.
Scientific name: Astrochelys radiata

Chinese
Alligator

Chinese alligators, also known as Yangtse alligators, spend the winter hibernating in burrows.
They are nocturnal. They mostly eat molluscs and fish, but are known to catch birds and mammals upon
occasion - leading to conflict with farmers when they eat domestic ducks.
Scientific name: Alligator sinensis
 Amphibians
Amphibians include frogs, salamanders and caecilians. A typical amphibian has
a larval stage spent in water during which it breathes through gills, and an adult stage
that is less tied to water when they rely on lungs. However, there are some species
that skip the tadpole stage and others that keep their gills throughout their life.
 Panamanian
Golden Frog

Panamanian golden frogs are critically endangered amphibians almost extinct in the wild. They
are unique to the mountainous rainforests of Panama, where populations have been severely threatened
by habitat loss, over-collection and, most devastatingly, by fungal disease. The use of semaphore for
communication is most unusual in amphibians, yet these true toads 'wave' at prospective mates and
rivals, possibly to overcome the noise made by fast-flowing rivers. Only seen by a lucky few, these
precious frogs have become the national animal of Panama and a symbol of good luck.
Scientific name: Atelopus zeteki
Common names: Golden arrow poison frog, Golden frog, Zetek's golden frog

Venezuela
Pebble Toad

Venezuela pebble toads have a very unusual defence mechanism, shared with only a few close
relatives. They roll themselves up into a ball and bounce down the hill, away from danger. These tiny
amphibians weigh so little that if they hold their muscles rigid, the bouncing doesn't damage them at all.
Pebble toads also breed communally, so a single nest can contain over 100 toads. One nest found had
103 toads and 321 eggs in it.
Scientific name: Oreophrynella nigra

Natterjack
Toad

Natterjack toads are claimed to be Europe's noisiest amphibian, with the male call audible over
several kilometres. Natterjacks are found in southwest and central Europe, but are rare in Britain. They
can be found in southwest Ireland, pockets of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, along the coast between
Lancashire and Dumfries and areas of Hampshire and Surrey where they've been introduced. Being poor
swimmers, they drown in deep water if they can't get ashore. Short limbs mean they can't leap very far,
and usually only do so as a startle response before going into their normal running gait.
Scientific name: Epidalea calamita
Common names: Running toad
 Surinam
Toad

Surinam toads have a unique spawning ritual and reproduction method. Following an
extraordinary mating dance, where the female lays her eggs on the male's belly, the male then fertilises
the eggs and rolls them into pouches on her back. After bypassing the larval stage completely, fully
developed froglet miniatures pop out of the holes in the mother's skin. Large flippered feet and greatly
flattened bodies make these amphibians well suited to life in South America's murky ponds and swamps.
Scientific name: Pipa pipa
Common names: Suriname toad

Asian Giant
Salamander

Asian giant salamanders are the largest salamanders in the world, and species are found in
China and Japan. These impressive animals grow to around 1.5m long.
Scientific name: Andrias

Great Crested
Newt

Great crested newts are Britain’s largest newt species. Although now afforded some legal
protection in the UK, populations have declined over recent years as a result of the destruction and
fragmentation of their habitat.
Scientific name: Triturus cristatus
Common names: Northern crested newt, Warty newt
 Siberian
Salamander

The siberian salamander is the only salamander to be found within the Arctic Circle. This
remarkable amphibian can survive being frozen for long periods of time at temperatures of less than 35
degrees centigrade. It manages this by replacing its water with 'anti-freeze' chemicals.
Scientific name: Salamandrella keyserlingii
Common names: Dybowski's Salamander, Siberian newt

Caecillians

Caecilians look like worms but are actuallyamphibians that inhabit the wet tropical regions ofsouth
America, Africa and south east Asia. They make up one of the three orders of amphibians,
alongside frogs and salamanders. Lacking any limbs but possessing a retractable sensory tentacle,
caecilians - with the exception of a few aquatic species - have a burrowing lifestyle. The skin of one
African species is fat and nutrient-rich, so the larvae peel this skin off the parent and eat it.
Scientific name: Gymnophiona

Poison Dart
Frogs

Poison dart frogs are so named because their poisonous secretions have been used by
Amerindian tribes to poison blow darts for hunting. Only three species are dangerous to humans. One of
those - the golden poison frog - is considered the most toxic vertebrate on Earth. The beautifully bright
colours and patterns of these frogs are a warning to potential predators that they don't make good eating.
There could be over 175 species in this family of amphibians, all found in the rainforests of Central and
South America. Many species of poison dart frogs are classified as critically endangered.
Did you know?
The golden poison frog is considered the most toxic vertebrate on Earth.
Scientific name: Dendrobatidae
Common names: Dart-poison frogs, Poison arrow frogs, Poison frogs
 Birds
Birds are a class of vertebrates. They are bipedal, warm-blooded, have a
covering of feathers, and their front limbs are modified into wings. Some birds, such as
penguins and ostriches, have lost the power of flight. All birds lay eggs. Because birds
are warm-blooded, their eggs have to be incubated to keep the embryos inside warm, or
they will perish.
 Moas

Moas were unique among flightless birds, having lost any trace that they once had wings. Not
even tiny wing bones or a wishbone were left. As well as bones, mummified moas and well preserved
feathers have been found. The moa became extinct when people discovered and colonised New Zealand
in the 13th century and began to hunt them. Fragments have been found at many sites, including
prehistoric Maori settlements, where the eggs had been cooked and eaten. Related to the ostriches and
emus, there were 11 species of moa, from the turkey-sized Euryapteryx curtus to the huge Dinornis
giganteus.
Scientific name: Dinornithidae

Snowy
Owl

The near perfect camouflage of the snowy owl's striking white plumage against the Arctic's snowy
tundra reveals only a glimpse of golden-yellow eyes. These large, powerful owls are so fond of their meal
of choice - lemmings - they follow the population around, and may even miss a breeding season when the
supply is scarce. Known too as the white terror of the north, the snowy owl uses versatile hunting
techniques to hunt by day and pick off prey from land, sea and air. Very occasionally snowy owls might
venture as far as the Shetland Isles, one of the coldest places in the UK.
Scientific name: Bubo scandiacus
Common names: Arctic owl, Great white owl, Snow owl

Mandarin
Duck

Mandarin ducks in Britain are the descendants of captive-bred ducks which escaped or were
deliberately released. Mandarins are one of the few duck species which are not hunted for food -
apparently they taste really bad!
Scientific name: Aix galericulata
Common names: Mandarin
 Kingfisher

Kingfishers are one of Britain’s most interesting birds. Their vivid colour is iridescence, not
pigment – the pigment is actually dark brown! Interference between different wavelengths of light
reflected from different layers of the feathers produces blues, greens and oranges. The feathers on the
bird’s back can seem blue or green depending on the angle at which they are viewed.
Scientific name: Alcedo atthis
Common names: Common kingfisher, Eurasian kingfisher, River kingfisher

Birds of
Paradise

Birds of paradise are some of the most colourful birds on the planet. They live in tropical forests
and though females are often dull in colour - because they need to be inconspicuous when sitting on the
nest - the males are generally fabulously adorned. They use their decoration to great effect when they're
trying to attract a mate, performing elaborate courtship dances to win the females over.
Scientific name: Paradisaeidae

Greater
Flamingo

Greater flamingos spend much of their day wading about with their heads upside down, filtering
food from the waters of lakes and lagoons. They can be distinguished from lesser flamingos by their
larger size, paler plumage and pink bills.
Scientific name: Phoenicopterus roseus
 Kakapos

Kakapos are very unusual parrots. They're flightless, very large - sometimes reaching 4kg in
weight - and their courtship system is one known as 'lekking', where the males gather together to display
to the females. Kakapos are native to New Zealand, but now only exists on specially protected islands,
where their nests are safe from introduced vermin such as rats, stoats and feral cats.
Scientific name: Strigops habroptila
Common names: Owl parrot

Chinstrap
Penguin

Chinstrap penguins are well adapted for the extreme cold of the Antarctic waters. Their short,
densely packed feathers act as insulation to keep the heat in, as well as a water proofing layer to keep
the water out. There is a very large and healthy population that lives and breeds in large colonies
numbering into the millions. The chinstrap penguin's main predators are leopard seals and birds such as
skuas that prey on the chicks and eggs.
Scientific name: Pygoscelis antarcticus
Common names: Bearded penguin, Ringed penguin, Stonecracker penguin

Kiwis

Kiwis are related to ostriches and cassowaries and, like their larger relatives, are flightless. There
are five species of kiwi, all native to New Zealand. They are quite shy, and tend to be nocturnal in areas
where there are humans.
Scientific name: Apteryx
 Insects
The insects are one of the most successful types of living organism, with roughly
half of all species on Earth being insects. Insects are part of the Arthropod phylum, and
as such have an external skeleton and jointed limbs. All insects have six legs, and are
the only type of invertebrate which has evolved the ability to fly.
 Adonis
Blue

Adonis blue males are eye-catching, electric-blue butterflies, though the females are a more drab
brown. They are found on the short-grazed turf of Europe's flower-rich grasslands and southern England
represents the northern extent of their range. Here the Adonis blues lay their eggs singly underneath the
leaves of the horseshoe vetch. They have a special relationship with red and black ants who protect the
larvae from predation, even burying them at night. In return, the ants are attracted to the larval 'honey
glands'. With two broods a year there are two adult flight periods: May to June and July to August.
Scientific name: Polyommatus bellargus

Woolly Bear
Moths

It is not surprising that this family of moths are commonly called woolly bears or woolly worms, as
the caterpillars of many species are really very hairy. The larvae can be full of poisonous chemicals
acquired from their host plants, advertising that they are bad to eat with bright colours, bad odours and
unusual shapes. The adult moths have distinctive wing venation and can also be distasteful when eaten.
They produce ultrasonic sounds to warn off predators and confuse bats looking for a tasty treat. There
are over 10,000 species worldwide including all the tiger, footmen, wasp and lichen moths. Amazingly,
the caterpillars of some species can even survive freezing.
Scientific name: Arctiidae
Common names: Tiger and footmen moths, Woolly worm moths

Lasius
Ants

Many species of Lasius ants go unnoticed by people until large swarms of winged ants take to the
air on a summer mating flight. However, they are the most abundant insects in the areas where they live.
They are found in temperate climates across North America, Europe and Asia, and are also found in
North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Lasius is a genus of ants with at least 115 species in it,
including the very common black garden ant and yellow meadow ant. These two species are a familiar
sight in Britain’s gardens and meadows and are a favourite food of green woodpeckers.
Scientific name: Lasius
 Bush
Crickets

Bush crickets, which number over 6,000 species, can be found on every continent except
Antarctica. They are usually spotted amongst vegetation, where they can mimic leaves and sticks or just
hide away. The males rub modified front wings to produce the loud sound (called stridulation) that begins
the mating process. Females are usually silent. On rare occasions swarms of bush crickets can cause
serious damage to crops.
Scientific name: Tettigoniidae
Common names: Katydids, Long-horned grasshoppers

Giraffe
Weevil

The curious-looking giraffe weevil gets its name from its enormously long neck, which is 2-3 times
longer in the males. They can use this extended neck to fight for the right to mate with a female. She, on
the other hand, uses her smaller neck to roll a leaf tube nest into which a single egg is layed. One of the
longest weevil species, male giraffe-necked weevils, as they're also known, grow to around 2.5cm in
length. If a long neck and large size aren't enough to make this beetle stand out, its bright red wing covers
certainly are. Giraffe weevils live in the warm climate of Madagascar, a large island off the east coast of
Africa.
Scientific name: Trachelophorus giraffa
Common names: Giraffe-necked weevil

Tisza
Mayfly

The giant or Tisza mayfly is Europe's largest species of mayfly. Unlike other mayfly species, the
adults never lose contact with the water surface, trailing their tails along it as they swarm. Sometimes they
become confused, however, and mistake wet road surfaces for the river.
Scientific name: Palingenia longicauda
Common names: Long-tailed mayfly, Tisa mayfly
 Bumblebee

Vital pollinators of crops and wildflowers, bumblebees are particularly effective with tomatoes, as
their buzz frequency releases large pollen loads. All bumblebees form small colonies, visiting flowers as
far as 2km away to feed on the nectar and gather pollen. The pollen coats the bee's hairy body and is
then combed into a pollen basket. Usually, only the queens survive the winter, so there's no need for
bumblebees to store large quantities of honey in the hive. Of the 250 known species, 24 are found in the
UK but only six of these are a familiar sight in our gardens.
Scientific name: Bombus
Common names: Bumble bee

Highland
Midge

Highland midges are notorious UK summer pests. They're found not only in Scotland but also in
areas of boggy and acidic soil in mainland Europe, Russia and China. In Scotland, they are also known
as the Highland biting midge, and for good reason, as this species is responsible for 90% of the midge
bites to humans. It is the large, cloud-forming numbers that help to make this tiny fly such a great
nuisance. In prime breeding grounds it has been estimated that larvae can reach an incredible density of
24 million per hectare.
Scientific name: Culicoides impunctatus
Common names: Highland biting midge

Fungus
Gnats

There are four species of fungus gnat in the genus Arachnocampa. They spend up to a year as
larvae, then pupate into adult flies, mate, lay eggs and die. One species is known as the the New Zealand
glowworm in its larval form. The caves inhabited by the glowworms have become a popular tourist
attraction.
Scientific name: Arachnocampa
Common names: Fungus gnat glowworms
 Fishes
A fish is any member of a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-
bearing aquatic craniate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are
the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct
related groups. Most fish are ectothermic ("cold-blooded"), allowing their body
temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change, though some of the large active
swimmers like white shark and tuna can hold a higher core temperature. Fish are
abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments,
from high mountain streams (e.g., char and gudgeon) to the abyssaland
even hadal depths of the deepest oceans (e.g., gulpers and anglerfish). At 32,000
species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other group of vertebrates.
 Stingrays

Stingrays are a family of cartilaginous fish containing nine genera and about 70 species. They
can be found in all tropical and sub-tropical seas, and there is also a freshwater-only sub-family - the river
rays. A flattened body shape and disc-shaped pectoral fins help stingrays live and hide in sand and mud
underwater. The famous barbed stinger on the tail is only used in self-defence, often when they are
stepped on in shallow waters.
Scientific name: Dasyatidae

Basking
Sharks

Basking sharks are one of the largest sharks of the world's temperate oceans. Only the mighty
whale shark is bigger. Despite a superficial similarity to the fearsome great white shark and a massive jaw
one metre wide, basking sharks are actually harmless filter feeders. They use more than 5,000 gill rakers
to strain plankton from around 1.5 million litres of water per hour. Basking sharks are born travellers,
covering large distances in search of food, at the very leisurely pace of only three miles per hour. There is
only one species of basking shark.
Scientific name: Cetorhinus maximus

Hammerhead
Shark

Hammerhead sharks are recognisable for their bizarre head shape which is thought to make the
shark more sensitive to electrical signals used to detect hidden prey. There are ten species of
hammerhead. The family also includes the bonnethead sharks and the winghead shark.
Scientific name: Sphyrna
 Weedy
Sea Dragon

Weedy seadragons are found among coral reefs, seagrass beds and seaweeds off the south
coast of Australia. Like their close relatives the seahorses, male seadragons incubate the eggs in brood
pouches, supplying oxygen to the eggs through their own blood vessels.
Scientific name: Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
Common names: Common seadragon, Lucas' sea-dragon

Brook
Lamprey

Brook lampreys look superficially like eels, but are in fact jawless fish. They belong to a primitive
group of fish that have sucker-like mouths instead of teeth and jaws. The larvae have no eyes or sucker-
mouth when they hatch out, and spend the first part of their lives hiding away in the mud of the river bed.
They live in rivers and streams. eating algae, diatoms and organic debris by filter feeding. As they mature
they stop feeding and develop the sucker typical of a lamprey. Once the adults have spawned, they die.

Scientific name: Lampetra planeri

Common names: European brook lamprey, Western brook lamprey

Sockeye
Salmon

Sockeye salmon live in the northern Pacific Ocean, but breed in freshwater. They return to the
freshwater systems of their birth in June and July, guided home by the characteristic odour of their parent
stream. During spawning, each female deposits 2,000 eggs then both the males and females die soon
after. Young salmon mature in the freshwater nurseries, and at two years of age finally depart for the
open ocean. There are also landlocked populations of the sockeye that never return to the sea.
Scientific name: Oncorhynchus nerka
 Candirus

Candirus are parasites that feed on the blood and flesh of their victims. Using the spines on their
gill covers, they wedge themselves into the gills of other fish, where they then live and feed.
Scientific name: Vandellia
Common names: Canero, Toothpick fish

Brown
Trout

Brown trout start life on a diet of invertebrates, but later on some of them switch to eating fish.
These larger, predatory individuals are sometimes known as ferox trout, and were once thought to be a
different species. Sea trout are also the same species as the brown trout, but sea trout are migratory,
heading out to sea for most of their life and returning to rivers to spawn.
Scientific name: Salmo trutta
Common names: Ferox trout, Sea trout

Coelacanths

Coelacanths are living fossils. The whole group was thought to be extinct until a specimen was
caught in 1938. There are two living species: the coelacanth and the Sulawesi coelacanth. They
inhabit deep water, so are rarely seen and difficult to film.
Scientific name: Latimeria
 Arachnids
Spiders make up the majority of the arachnida class (or arachnids), with over
50,000 known species. Mites come a close second at 48,200 species. The other
arachnids are scorpions, whip scorpions, microwhip scorpions, pseudoscorpions,
harvestmen and sun spiders. Most species are carnivorous.
 Spider

Few creatures provoke extreme reactions quite like spiders. With fearsome reputations and hairy
eight-legged bodies, their presence can bring out an almost primeval instinct in even the hardiest wildlife
enthusiast. Yet spiders are marvels of nature. The silk they spin from abdominal spinnerets is light,
elastic, can be strong enough to rival steel and has many more uses than web-making. All but one of the
40,000 species of spider are carnivorous. Spiders employ a range of techniques, from webs to ambush,
to capture prey. Once subdued, their prey is liquidised before being consumed. Spiders range in size
from the dinner-plate sized Goliath bird-eater tarantula to species the size of a pinhead.
Did you know?
Spider silk is stronger by weight than steel.
Scientific name: Araneae

Tarantulas

Tarantulas have large, hairy bodies that make them the stuff of nightmares for many, but they
look more threatening than they actually are. The mild venom of their bite is weaker than the
average bee's, and causes little more pain than a wasp sting. There are hundreds of species of tarantula
living in the world's tropical jungles and deserts. South America is home to some of the most sizeable
species, such as the Goliath spiders that can have a leg span of 30cm. The name tarantula originates
from the Italian town of Taranto.
Scientific name: Theraphosidae

Spider

Crab spiders don't build webs to catch their prey. Instead, they rely on camouflage and ambush.
These colourful spiders blend into their surroundings amongst leaves and flowers, where they lie in wait
for unsuspecting flies and bees. Some species can even change colour to match the flower they are on.
Scientific name: Thomisidae
 Camel
Spider

Camel spiders have a nightmarish reputation. Urban legends, fuelled by the appearance of their
extra large, powerful mouthparts, their voracious appetite and their tremendous speed, surround these
hairy arachnids. However, stories of camel spiders leaping in the air to disembowel camels and of their
feasting on sleeping humans remain, as yet, merely stories. They look like 10-legged spiders, but aren't in
fact spiders and the 'extra' two legs are large sensory organs. Most of the thousand species hunt only at
night and live in hot dry deserts, where they are one of the top predators.
Scientific name: Solifugae
Common names: Sun spider, Wind scorpion

Trapdoor
Spider

Trapdoor spiders, of which there are about 50 species in the Liphistius genus, are found in China,
Japan and south east Asia. These spiders rarely leave their underground burrows, and seal the entrance
with a disguised web trapdoor. When an unsuspecting insect touches one of the silk fishing lines, or trip
wires, that radiate out of the entrance, the trapdoor springs open and the spider grabs it prey.
Scientific name: Liphistius

Money
Spider

The money spider family is a huge group, with thousands of species in it. They are all small
spiders, not more than 5mm long. They get their name from the folklore that if a money spider got caught
in your hair it would bring you good luck and increased wealth.
Scientific name: Linyphiidae
Common names: Dwarf weaver spiders, Sheet weaver spiders, Sheet weavers, Sheetweb spiders
 Scorpion

Scorpions were among the first animals to adapt to life on land 420 million years ago. They are
the oldest arachnids for which fossils are known. Scorpions are particularly recognisable by their
spectacularly large, powerful pincers, which are enlarged appendages used to grasp and subdue prey.
The famous stinging tail contains a pair of poison glands and is used to paralyse prey. Hated and admired
since ancient times, they still strike fear into people though few are deadly. Around 2,000 species have
been described in 13 families with species found on every continent except Antarctica, and not just under
rocks in the desert!
Scientific name: Scorpiones

Garden
Spider

The European garden spider with its poignant life cycle and familiar orb web is the most well
knownspider in the UK. Found in almost every country in the northern hemisphere, garden spiders feed
on flying insects such as butterflies, wasps and fliesbut tend to ignore smaller prey such as greenflies.
When a female has mated, her body becomes swollen with eggs. She builds a silken egg sac in which to
lay the eggs and dedicates the rest of her life to protecting them. Unable to leave the eggs to hunt and
feed, she dies in late autumn before her spiderlings hatch out in May of the following year.
Scientific name: Araneus diadematus
Common names: Cross spider, Diadem spider, European garden spider, Garden orb-web spider

Himalayan
Jumping Spider

The Himalayan jumping spider is a tiny spider that lives high up in the Himalayas, and has been
found at altitudes as high as 6700 metres above sea level. Its only source of food at these extreme
heights is stray insects that are blown up the mountainside by the wind.
Scientific name: Euophrys omnisuperstes
Echinoderms
Echinoderms are characterized by radial symmetry, several arms (5 or more,
mostly grouped 2 left - 1 middle - 2 right) radiating from a central body (= pentamerous).
The body actually consists of five equal segments, each containing a duplicate set of
various internal organs. They have no heart, brain, nor eyes, but some brittle stars
seem to have light sensitive parts on their arms. Their mouth is situated on the
underside and their anus on top (except feather stars, sea cucumbers and some
urchins).

Echinoderms have tentacle-like structures called tube feet with suction pads
situated at their extremities. These tube feet are hydraulically controlled by a
remarkable vascular system. This system supplies water through canals of small
muscular tubes to the tube feet (= ambulacral feet). As the tube feet press against a
moving object, water is withdrawn from them, resulting in a suction effect. When water
returns to the canals, suction is released. The resulting locomotion is generally very
slow.
Crown-of-thorns
Starfish

Crown-of-thorns starfish are one of the most damaging creatures of tropical coral reefs,
particularly Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They are voracious predators that release the contents of their
stomach on to the coral. Digestive juices then liquify the coral ready for consumption. A single individual
can wipe out large areas in this way. They are almost completely covered in protective venomous spines
capable of causing great pain in humans. Yet the crown-of-thorns starfish does have predators of its own,
including molluscs, fish and worms.
Scientific name: Acanthaster planci

Spiny Cushion
Starfish

Spiny Cushion Starfish is a roughly pentagonal starfish with a leathery surface and an inflated
appearance. It is subglobose in shape with a very convex aboral (upper) surface and flat base. The
aboral surface is scattered with small conical spines and the oral (under) surface has small granulations
and is clad in large conical tubercles, those nearest the ambulacral grooves and the margin being ovate
in cross section and the largest.
Scientific Name: Culcita schmideliana

Necklace Sea
Star

Necklace Sea Stars can be recognized by it's variation of colors. However, most have red or
orange plates. The plates are larger along the external margins, but small and flattened on the upper
surface. Their central disc can range in color, from orange, yellow and red. The tips of the arms are
generally a darker red, where the eyespots are located.
Scientific Name: Fromia Monilis
 Spiny Cushion
Starfish

Luzon Sea Star - Amazingly, sea star can regenerate lost arms. This is usefull if the sea star is
threatened by a predator - it can drop an arm, get away and grow a new arm. Sea stars house most of
their vital organs in their arms, so some can even regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm
and a portion of the star's central disc. It wont happen too quickly, though. It takes about a year for an arm
to grow back.
Scientific name: Echinaster Luzonicus

Rolled up
Feather Star

Feather stars are usually found curled up during the day, but at night they extend their feathery
arms to catch plankton in the currents. They float, crawl, roll, walk or even swim through the current to
different locations. Some small animals like clingfish and crustaceans can be found in the arms of
feathers stars. Feather stars have both their mouth and anus on the upper surface. Very much like sea
stars if their arms are damaged they can regenerate at will.
Scientific name: Himerometra robustipinna

Red Sea
Urchin

Red Sea Urchin is a large urchin with a test diameter of up to 20 cm (8 in), flattened or slightly
concave on the aboral (upper) side. The spines are up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long and are grouped in five
vertical clusters in between which are V-shaped areas with no spines corresponding to
the interambulacral plates. These bare areas are red with lines of iridescent blue dots while the colour of
the rest of the test and spines varies from reddish-brown to purple, dark brown or nearly black. The
spines are long and hollow; they are of two kinds, the shorter being venomous. The anal sac is
prominent, brown with a dark tip. Juveniles have spines with transverse banding and this characteristic
sometimes persists into adulthood.
 Shrimpfish

Shrimpfish are nearly transparent and flattened from side to side with long snouts and sharp-
edged bellies. A thin, dark stripe runs along their bodies. These stripes and their shrimp-like appearance
are the source of their name. They swim in a synchronized manner with their heads pointing downwards.
Adult shrimpfish are up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long, including their snouts. The banded bellowsfish more
closely resembles members of the subfamily Macroramphosinae (especially Notopogon) in both
behaviour and body shape, and reaches a length of up to 30 cm (12 in).

Coleman
Shrimp

Found usually in pairs exclusively on the fire urchin -Asthenosoma varium, which in turn is known
as the toxic sea urchin. The larger one is the female. The host urchin's spines do not harm the shrimp, but
they usually clear an area on the urchin where they perch.
They feed on parasites, algae and plankton.
Scientific Name: Periclimenes colemani

Pineapple
Sea Cucumber

Pineapple Sea Cucumber also known as pineapple sea cucumber or prickly redfish, is
a species of sea cucumber found in tropical waters from the Red Sea to New Caledonia. Its reddish-
brown body with large and mostly branched papillae can reach up to 70 centimetres (28 in) in
length.[3]Due to intense commercially exploitation population of T. ananas declined by 80-90% in at least
50% of its range and it is listed as endangered by IUCN.
Scientific name: Thelenota ananas
 Crustaceans
Crustacea is a large group of animals, and comprises an extensive range of
marine creatures. It is impossible to give them a generalised physiology as crustacean
forms vary widely and includes the barnacles, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, prawns, sand
hoppers and sea slaters. As demonstrated by this list, no simple definition would
encompass all these body types.
 Spider Crab

Spider crabs are a family of long, skinny-legged crabs containing over 700 species. Often small
and slow-moving, some species look like bits of debris and further camouflage themselves by adorning
the bristles and spines of their exoskeleton with algae, seaweed and corals. This family contains the
largest known arthropod - the Japanese spider crab - which has a leg span of four metres.
Scientific name: Majidae

Hot Vent
Crab

Hot vent crabs are only found around hydrothermal vents, hydrothermal seeps and submarine
volcanoes on the ocean floor. They have evolved to deal with the extreme conditions found in these
hostile environments, such as very high temperature, high acidity in the water and potentially toxic levels
of metals and gases. They were first scientifically described in 1980.
Scientific name: Bythograeidae
Common names: Vent crabs

White-claw
Crayfish

White-clawed crayfish, Britain's only native freshwater crayfish, are under serious threat from an
American invader. The introduced signal crayfish has had devastating effects, both out-competing the
natives and carrying a deadly fungus against which the white-claw has no defence. Looking much like
minature lobsters, they hide away under rocks and logs during the day, emerging at night to prey on
larvae, snails and plants. Despite the threats, large populations can still be found in clean, well-
oxygenated rivers and lakes across Europe.
Scientific name: Austropotamobius pallipes
 Hermit
Crab

The hermit crab is a favourite of rockpoolenthusiasts. You can never tell if that old whelk or
periwinkle shell is home to one of these crustaceans. A hermit crab appropriates shells to protect its soft
twisted abdomen from predators. As the hermit crab grows, an overly snug shell is abandoned in favour
of a larger abode. One empty shell can trigger a property rush as crabs gather and simultaneously pass
discarded shells down the housing chain to smaller individuals. There are more than 1,000 species of
hermit crab. Despite the common name, they are more closely related to lobsters than true crabs. They
are found inrockpools, throughout the shore and even in deep sea waters. Hermit crabs are widespread
around theBritish coast.
Scientific name: Paguroidea

Goose
Barnacles

Goose barnacles are odd-looking crustaceans usually found in quite deep water. Occasionally
they can be found on debris that has become dislodged from the sea bed and washed up on the shore.
They are found in oceans the world over, except in Arctic regions.
Scientific name: Pedunculata

Copepods