Information on Critters

Now that you are one-half inch tall, it's time to explore the soil and meet some of the critters who call it home. Remember that appearances are not always what they seem. Although all of these creatures may look scary when you shrink to their size and encounter them face to face, you only have to worry about those who would see you as their next meal.

Ant

No, it isn't a parade! You have found an ant colony on the move. Ants are social insects and live in large, cooperative colonies. There are sometimes thousands or even millions of ants living within one colony. Ants within each colony have specialized jobs. Worker ants collect food and bring it back underground to the rest of the colony. Soldier ants defend the colony and sometimes raid other colonies. If you followed these ants back to their colony, you would find the queen, who is responsible for laying eggs.

Well, what do you know?

Ants have a reputation as good workers, and their work really pays off for the soil. Did you know:

  • As ants work, bringing soil to the surface and food down into the soil, they mix up the soil and enrich it with new nutrients.
  • Ants are found all over the world and in almost every type of land environment.
  • Some ants can carry up to 50 times their weight.
  • Ants have many ways of communicating with each other, using smells or chemicals and vibrations, as well as sound.
  • Ant heads are specialized for their function. For example, soldier ants usually have huge jaws.

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Centipede

Watch out for this soil predator! A bite from a centipede is venomous and could be fatal to you at this size. Luckily for you, centipedes can't see very well—many varieties are actually blind. You will recognize this critter by its body made of many segments—each with one pair of legs. To avoid this critter, don't go out at night, when it is most active.

Well, what do you know?

You can't believe everything you hear! There are a number of common myths about centipedes. Did you know:

  • Most centipedes do not have a hundred legs. The number of legs on a centipede can actually vary from ten to more than 100. Centipedes have one pair of legs on each body segment. Since most centipedes have fewer than 50 segments, most have fewer than 100 legs.
  • An old myth says that a centipede walking on your skin will cause it to rot. But that isn't true. The myth may have come from the fact that some centipedes do have sharp legs that may scratch your skin and from the fact that their first pair of legs is modified to inject venom into prey. This venom can cause small reactions in humans.
  • Centipedes are not insects; they are actually arthropods. They do resemble insects, but true insects have only three body regions and six legs.

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Cicada

Don't worry—although this insect is rather large and intimidating when you are only one-half inch tall, it has absolutely no interest in eating you. In fact, adult cicadas have little interest in eating anything. Cicadas spend most of their lives underground as both larvae and nymphs. Once they emerge as adults, they live only long enough to mate. They lay their eggs in twigs; when the young hatch, they drop to the ground and burrow into the soil. As adults, most cicadas don't really eat at all, but they do suck fluids from deciduous trees.

Well, what do you know?

There is safety (and a lot of racket) in numbers. Did you know:

  • Adult cicadas are usually large and colorful, with transparent wings and bulging eyes.
  • Periodical cicadas emerge in large groups called broods. Broods of the variety Magicicada emerge every 17 years.
  • When periodical cicadas emerge, they can be so dense in some areas that you can find up to 100 of them in one square yard.
  • Adult cicadas are the loudest known insects, which makes for a lot of noise when thousands of them emerge in an area at once.
  • Adult periodical cicadas do not run or react strongly to possible predators. Why? Scientists think it is because they don't need to—there are so many of them, predators can gorge on cicadas and there will still be plenty of them left to mate and carry on the species.
  • Various species of cicadas spend from one to 17 years underground before emerging.

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Earthworm

You have nothing to fear from this denizen of the soil. In fact, in some ways, the earthworm is the hero of the underground. Earthworms burrow through the soil by relaxing and contracting muscles along their bodies. They can dig in with tiny bristles on their undersides. As they tunnel through the soil, they mix in organic matter and break up clumps of soil while creating spaces for air and water in the soil. Since all soil critters need air and water to survive, many owe their survival to the earthworm. The air, water, and nutrients they add to the soil are also good for plants.

Well, what do you know?

No eyes, five hearts—earthworm anatomy is very strange indeed. Did you know:

  • Earthworms do not have eyes, but they aren't exactly blind. They have light receptors all over their body.
  • Earthworms also find their way by touch and by sensing vibrations in the earth.
  • Earthworms have five hearts.
  • Most of an earthworm's vital organs are located in the first few segments of its body. The rest of the earthworm is mainly full of intestines.
  • Earthworms are hermaphrodites, meaning that they have both male and female organs.

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Earwig

Who is that crazy critter, arching her back and waving her pinchers at you? You must have wandered too close to an earwig's nest. Don't worry, earwig moms are very protective of their young, but they eat mostly plants and decaying vegetation so you are probably not on the lunch menu. Just don't get between her and her children!

Well, what do you know?

Earwigs may look like your normal creepy crawly, but earwig moms are special indeed. Did you know:

  • Earwig females lay about 30 eggs at once.
  • Earwig moms seal themselves inside an underground nest with their eggs for the winter.
  • An earwig mom licks her eggs over and over all winter to keep them clean.
  • Earwig moms protect their young even after they have hatched.

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Ground Beetle

Watch out for this predator and its predatory young. Both adult ground beetles and their larvae eat small invertebrates and dead animals. Some groups also eat seeds. If you are going to try to outrun this hungry predator, you'd better get a head start—a ground beetle's legs are adapted for running fast. And watch out for traps! The larvae of one group of ground beetles, the tiger beetles, dig deep burrows and wait at the openings to catch passing insects with their powerful jaws.

Well, what do you know?

Ground beetles are only one of many diverse groups of beetles. Beetles are one of the most successful animals on Earth, with more than 350,000 species already named. Did you know:

  • The front wings of all beetles are modified as hard wing covers.
  • Most beetles have a second pair of wings for flying that are folded underneath the wing covers.
  • Some species of beetles live in the woods, some on water, some in the desert, some in the nests of birds, and some in the fur of mammals.
  • The legs of beetles are modified in many different ways. Different species of beetles have legs adapted for running, jumping, swimming, defense, and other activities.
  • Most beetles are considered beneficial insects. Some ways beetles are helpful in the environment:
    • Many species eat harmful insects.
    • Some species feed on animal dung, helping to keep pastureland and fields from being buried in animal waste.
    • Some species bury animal carcasses for later eating, ridding the landscape of them.

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Millipede

As long as you don't try to eat it, you have little to fear from the millipede. Millipedes are decomposers. They would rather eat decaying plants and fallen leaves than eat you. If you are looking for lunch yourself, though, look somewhere else! Some millipedes have clever ways to keep potential predators like you away. They produce a smelly secretion that makes them taste bad. Eating a millipede could cause some real discomfort for your stomach. Many also are brightly colored to warn potential predators about the hazards of eating them.

Well, what do you know?

Millipedes may have a lot in common with centipedes, but they lack that killer instinct. Did you know:

  • Unlike centipedes, which are predators, millipedes are decomposers and feed on decaying plants.
  • Like centipedes, millipedes are arthropods with multiple body segments.
  • Millipedes have two sets of legs per segment, while centipedes have only one pair per segment.
  • Millipedes are usually found under logs, stones, or leaf litter, while centipedes often live in burrows stolen from their prey.

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Mite

Although some mites are predators, they are too small to be much threat to you, even at one-half inch tall! Predatory mites usually pick on smaller critters, such as springtails, or the eggs of insects. If you get close enough, you might notice their long pointed mouthparts, which can normally be seen only under a microscope. Oribatid mites, the most common type found in soil, aren't predators at all. They get their nutrients from plants, decaying leaves, and fungi.

Well, what do you know?

There are two types of mites most commonly found in soil: predatory (pictured to the right) and oribatid (pictured above). They look virtually identical—until you put them under a microscope! Did you know:

  • Seen under a microscope, oribatid mites look like helmets with legs.
  • Seen under a microscope, predatory mites have long, pointed mouthparts.

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Mole Cricket

If you come across this nocturnal insect, be sure to stop and watch its unique way of moving through the soil. Mole crickets have front legs shaped like shovels that they use to "breast-stroke" through the soil, creating long, winding tunnels. These tunnels look much like miniature versions of mole tunnels. This, along with the fact that these insects slightly resemble true crickets, earned them the name mole cricket. Although many mole crickets do have wings, they are clumsy flyers and move best when tunneling underground or running on the surface of the ground.

Well, what do you know?

Digging is not the only thing mole crickets are good at. Male mole crickets are accomplished singers as well. Did you know:

  • In many species of mole crickets, the male has special teeth and scrapers on his front wings. By scraping the wings together, he creates a sound, or song, that he uses to attract females.
  • Mole crickets turn up the volume of their song by creating funnel- or megaphone-shaped chambers in the ground to amplify their sound.
  • Mole cricket songs can be heard up to one-half mile away.

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Nematode

You may not even notice these microscopic worms, though you will surely pass some on your adventure underground. Nematodes are the most abundant multi-celled creatures on Earth, and they live in almost every type of soil. They hunt creatures that live in water droplets under the soil and will eat almost anything in their path. Don't worry, though—even at one-half inch tall, you are too big for a nematode to eat.

Well, what do you know?

Although we don't often think about the water in soil, that water is very important to many living creatures—including nematodes. Did you know:

  • Nematodes must stay moist to survive.
  • Many nematodes live in the film of water that coats soil particles.
  • Nematodes move by thrashing and splashing through the water.

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Pillbug

This armored isopod is more afraid of you than you are of it! If it is threatened, it will simply roll up into a ball to protect itself. For this reason, it is sometimes called a roly-poly. The closely related sowbug, on the other hand, just hunkers down or runs away. You are most likely to meet these critters at night or in shady places, feeding on decaying wood, leaves, and other vegetation.

Well, what do you know?

Pillbugs and sowbugs are not insects at all. Instead, they are crustaceans, like crabs and lobsters. Did you know:

  • While most crustaceans are aquatic, some isopods, like pillbugs and sowbugs, live on land.
  • Like other crustaceans, isopods breathe through gills. Because of this, they must live in moist soil.
  • Like other crustaceans, isopods have a hard exoskeleton.

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Pseudoscorpion

Stay away from this clawed predator! Although this arachnid is only a bit larger than you now that you are one-half inch tall, its large front claws can be pretty scary. In fact, scientists think pseudoscorpions may use those claws to scare each other! When two pseudoscorpions meet, they vibrate their claws. Scientists think that this behavior helps them identify others or ward off rivals.

Well, what do you know?

Although they are not scorpions or spiders, pseudoscorpions do share some characteristics with their fellow arachnids. Did you know:

  • Pseudoscorpions do resemble scorpions, but they lack the curvy tail and stinger for which scorpions are famous.
  • Unlike some scorpions, pseudoscorpions are not dangerous to humans.
  • Like some spiders, pseudoscorpions produce silk. They use the silk to build a chamber in which to hide during molting.
  • Like all arachnids, pseudoscorpions have eight legs.

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Rove Beetle

Be careful around this beetle! Although many types of rove beetles are scavengers or fungus-eaters, some are predators. Most are brown or black and have short wing covers that expose the abdomen. Rove beetles can run or fly quickly. Some rove beetles are tricky. They look so much like ants that they can live in ants' nests and prey on the weak ants they find there. Some even get fed by the ants!

Well, what do you know?

There are many varieties of rove beetle. Did you know:

  • Some rove beetles are active during the day, some at dusk, and others at night.
  • Rove beetles are one of the largest groups of beetles, with more than 45,000 species named worldwide.
  • Rove beetles are often thought to be helpful, since they prey on some pests.
  • Rove beetles are often found near dead animals and other decomposing materials. Some varieties are scavengers and eat these dead materials. Others are predators and eat other critters found there. Many varieties also lay their eggs near decomposing materials.
  • Rove beetle varieties have some interesting common names, including Devil's Coach-horse.

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Snail

Be wary of this gastropod. Most snails eat fungi, plants, and algae, but some species are predators. Some even eat other snails! Shhh! If you startle or scare a snail, it will pull back into its spiral shell for protection. Be careful not to step in the slippery, slimy trail the snail leaves behind. The slime serves to protect the snail's one large, soft, muscular foot as it crawls along, but it will feel pretty disgusting if you fall in it when you're one-half inch tall!

Well, what do you know?

We usually think of snails as "cute" and slugs as "gross," but the major difference between these two gastropods is that snails have a shell and slugs have a helmet. Did you know:

  • Snails and slugs both belong to the gastropods.
  • Gastropods are mollusks—this group also includes clams and octopuses.
  • Most gastropods live in the ocean, but they can also live in fresh water, such as creeks, or on land.
  • During the day, snails and slugs burrow down in the soil where it is moist and cool.
  • At night or on rainy days, snails and slugs feed above ground.

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Springtail

Wow, this guy can really jump! But don't worry, this springtail isn't attacking. Springing springtails, like this one, move around the soil by jumping. Springing springtails have an unusual forked tail-like appendage attached to their abdomen. They use this "spring" to propel themselves over relatively long distances. They feast on decaying plants and mold among the soil particles. Yum!

Well, what do you know?

Some springtails are excellent jumpers, but others have no spring at all. Did you know:

  • Some springing springtails can jump up to 20 times the length of their own bodies.
  • Non-springing springtails live deep in the soil where there is no room to spring. Over time, through natural selection, these springtails have lost their spring.
  • Springtails do not have wings.
  • Although they look white to the human eye, many springtails are beautifully colored. Since they are so small, people can't see the colors without a microscope.
  • Springtails eat around the roots of plants, keeping bacteria and fungi from reaching toxic levels and damaging the plant.

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Wolf Spider

Be on the lookout for this arachnid! Wolf spiders are fierce predators. They prey on both surface dwellers and underground critters that get too close to the entrance of their burrow. They kill their prey with venom from their fangs, and then they suck out the insides. This is NOT an animal you want to meet when you are one-half inch tall!

Well, what do you know?

They may look big and scary, but unless you really are one-half inch tall, you don't have anything to fear from these shy spiders. Did you know:

  • Wolf spiders are hairy and large—usually between one-half to two inches in length.
  • Wolf spiders are not venomous to humans.
  • Wolf spiders do not use webs to trap their prey.
  • Wolf spider moms carry their babies on their backs after they have hatched.

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Think you know your critters? Take our Critter Quiz to find out!