Sea spiders inhabit oceans worldwide, from warm tropical waters to very cold polar seas. The tropics are warm areas of the world, where the temperature is typically more than 68°F (20°C). Polar regions are the cold areas of the world near the North Pole (Arctic) and South Pole (Antarctic), where temperatures never rise above 50°F (10°C). Sea spiders are rarely seen…
Horseshoe crabs inhabit coastal regions of eastern North America and the Indo-Pacific. Of the four species of horseshoe crabs in the world, just one is found along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists just one species of horseshoe crab as Near Threatened, meaning that they are at risk of being threatened with extinction in the future. All…
Arachnids are found throughout the world. About eight thousand of the ninety-seven thousand species of arachnids are found in the United States and Canada. Arachnids live on land, in nearly every sort of habitat. Some live in freshwater. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one arachnid species as Endangered, meaning that it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near fu…
Proturans are found around the world, except in the Arctic and Antarctic. Protura usually prefer to live in moist habitats with lots of rotting plant materials. They are found in meadows or in leaf litter, rotten logs, soil, and moss in wooded areas. Some species live in parks and agricultural fields. Most proturans live near the soil surface, although some are found underground as deep as 10…
Springtails are found worldwide, from the tropics to the edges of the polar ice caps. No springtails are endangered or threatened. …
Diplurans are widely distributed throughout the world. Diplurans live in the soil and are found in moist habitats under rocks, logs, leaf litter, and tree bark. Some species live in caves. Diplurans eat both plant material and animal tissues. They feed on living and dead small, soft-bodied mites, worms, symphylans (sihm-FIE-luhns) other diplurans, and insects. They also eat funguses, living p…
Bristetails are found on all continents except Antarctica. Bristletails are found on the soil, in leaf litter, under rocks, and on stumps and logs from sea level to 15,750 feet (4,800 meters) in the Himalayas. Species living in tropical rainforests often spend some or all of their time high up on the trunks and limbs of trees. Bristletails eat dead leaves; algae (AL-jee); funguses; and lichen…
Thysanurans are found worldwide. Thysanurans are found in moist habitats, but a few are found in sandy deserts. They live under bark, rocks, rotting logs, and leaf litter. Some species prefer to live in caves, among ants or termites, or with people. Thysanurans eat decaying or dried plants and animal remains. Species living with people feed on starchy materials, such as paper, cardboard, book…
Mayflies are found on all continents except Antarctica and a few small islands in the middle of the ocean. They are most abundant in mild or tropical climates. The World Conservation Union (ICUN) lists two species of mayflies as Extinct, meaning that no members of the species are still alive, and one as Vulnerable, meaning that it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. The main reasons …
Dragonflies are found worldwide, except in frozen polar areas. They are especially abundant in the tropics. The larvae are found in most standing and running freshwater habitats, where they live on the bottom, under stones, clinging to vegetation, or buried in mud or detritus (dih-TRY-tuhs), loose, tiny bits of plant and animal remains. A few species live in small air pockets inside the stems…
Stoneflies live on all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found on most larger islands except Cuba, Fiji, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. There are approximately two thousand species of stoneflies worldwide, with about six hundred in the United States and Canada. The adults of some species feed on algae (AL-jee), lichen (LIE-kuhn), pollen, or nectar, but the food preferences of most spec…
Cockroaches are found around the world, with most species living in the tropics. Species are found wherever humans live and work. No species of cockroaches are officially endangered. The greatest threat to wild cockroaches is the destruction of their habitats, especially tropical species that have a very limited geographic range or live in small, specialized habitats. At least one species, th…
Termites are found in warmer regions of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics, or regions that border on the tropics. Most termites prefer to live in warm, humid climates, especially at low altitudes along river valleys and in coastal areas. Other species are found in mountain forests, deserts, and grasslands. …
Mantids are found worldwide in warm and tropical climates. There are twenty-three hundred species worldwide, mostly in the tropical rainforests of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Many species are restricted to small areas, but others are found on more than one continent, having been accidentally introduced by humans to continents outside their range. Twenty species live in the Unit…
All twenty-seven species of rock-crawlers live in the Northern Hemisphere; they are found in Siberia, northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. Eleven species are known to live in the United States and Canada. Rock-crawlers are secretive animals that live at elevations between 656 and 10,499 feet (between 200 and 3,200 meters) in mixed forests or in mountains above the highest point where trees c…
There are approximately 1,800 species of earwigs found throughout the world, except in the Arctic and Antarctic. They are especially common in the tropics and subtropics. Twenty-two species live in the United States and Canada. Most earwigs live in moist crevices (KREH-vuh-ses) of all kinds, including under bark, between leaves, and under stones. Some species live on the furry bodies of giant…
Grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids are found on all continents and islands, except Antarctica. There are about 21,400 species of orthopterans worldwide, with about 3,000 species in the United States and Canada. …
All thirteen living species are found in Africa in Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania. Two fossil species preserved in amber were found in Russia. They are found in dry, scrubby habitats that receive little rain. Heel-walkers live down inside tufts of grass or grasslike plants, where they blend in perfectly thanks to their spotted and striped bodies. They eat various kinds of insects, includ…
Phasmids live on all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found on many islands. There are approximately three thousand species of phasmids worldwide, with about forty-four species in Canada and the United States. Phasmids are found in a wide variety of habitats in warmer and tropical climates, including gardens, woodlands, pine and fir forests, chaparral, desert scrub, and grasslands…
