Global Animal Guide Wildlife Encyclopedia

Invertebrates

The guide features 22 species in the invertebrate class. Each profile answers the most-searched questions first.

Common octopus on a coral reef with curling arms and textured skin

Invertebrate

Octopus

The shape-shifting genius of the sea

Translucent moon jellyfish drifting in deep blue ocean water

Invertebrate

Jellyfish

The ancient, brainless drifter of the seas

Tarantula on rocky desert ground with detailed hairy legs

Invertebrate

Tarantula

The large, hairy spider with a gentle reputation

Cuttlefish hovering above the seabed with a patterned mantle and wavy fins

Invertebrate

Cuttlefish

The color-changing master of camouflage

Glossy black widow spider hanging in its web showing the red hourglass marking

Invertebrate

Black Widow Spider

The glossy black spider with the red hourglass

Orange five-armed starfish resting on a rocky tidal seabed

Invertebrate

Starfish

The five-armed drifter that regrows its limbs

Blue crab with bright blue claws and a broad shell on a sandy estuary bottom

Invertebrate

Blue Crab

The swift swimming crab of Atlantic estuaries

Peacock mantis shrimp with vivid green, red, and blue body peering out of a reef burrow

Invertebrate

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

The reef brawler with the fastest punch in nature

Colorful coral colony with many tiny polyps on a sunlit tropical reef

Invertebrate

Coral

The tiny reef-building animals of tropical seas

Atlantic horseshoe crab with a domed shell and long pointed tail on a sandy beach

Invertebrate

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

The ancient living fossil with blue blood

Close-up of a fuzzy jumping spider with large round front eyes on a leaf

Invertebrate

Jumping Spider

The big-eyed spider that pounces on its prey

Giant squid with long tentacles and huge eye in deep dark ocean water

Invertebrate

Giant Squid

The elusive deep-sea giant with enormous eyes

Chambered nautilus with a spiral striped shell and many small tentacles in dark water

Invertebrate

Chambered Nautilus

The living-fossil cephalopod in a spiral shell

Reddish-brown centipede with long antennae and many legs on damp leaf litter

Invertebrate

Centipede

The fast, venomous predator with many legs

Dark blue-green American lobster with large front claws on a rocky seabed

Invertebrate

American Lobster

The long-lived clawed crustacean of cold seas

Dark cylindrical millipede curled on the forest floor with many short legs

Invertebrate

Millipede

The slow, many-legged recycler of the forest floor

Large glossy black emperor scorpion with raised tail and big pincers

Invertebrate

Emperor Scorpion

The large, glowing arachnid with a stinging tail

Hermit crab peeking out of a spiral snail shell on wet sand

Invertebrate

Hermit Crab

The crustacean that wears borrowed shells

Brown-shelled garden snail gliding across a green leaf

Invertebrate

Garden Snail

The slow, shell-carrying garden mollusk

Dark purple spiny sea urchin clinging to a rocky reef surface

Invertebrate

Sea Urchin

The spiny ball that grazes the seabed

Reddish-brown earthworm on dark moist soil

Invertebrate

Earthworm

The soil engineer that enriches the earth

Giant clam on a coral reef with brightly colored, wavy mantle tissue

Invertebrate

Giant Clam

The reef-dwelling giant of the mollusks

Frequently asked questions

How many invertebrates are in the Global Animal Guide?

The Global Animal Guide currently features 22 invertebrates with full, answer-first profiles covering diet, habitat, size, and conservation status.

What are invertebrates?

Invertebrates are animals in the invertebrate class. Browse the full list below to explore each species in detail.