Common name : Tunnelweb spider Scientific name : Hexathele hochstetteri Family : Hexathelidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : A large-sized spider, the tunnelweb spider is actually very shy of humans and avoids them. There isn’t even a record of this spider biting a human. This spider lives in a hole or the […]
Common name : Barking Spider Scientific name : Selenocosmia crassipes Family : Theraphosidae Native to : Queensland, Australia Interesting fact : The largest Australian spider, the barking spider has a total body length of 6-9 cm and legs reaching up to 22 cm. Large in size, this species has relatively fat front legs. Females have
The Cicinnurus respublica (scientific name) or Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is found on the hill in the rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta Islands of Indonesia. 8.3 inches in length, this bird is clearly visible and identifiable because of its plumage. The head is naked light electric blue with a double cross pattern. The neck has a yellow
Common name : Greater water boatman Scientific name : Notonecta glauca Family : Notonectidae Native to : United Kingdom & Europe Interesting fact : These insects are named such on account of their movement. They paddle in the water, using their long legs and swim on their backs. The backswimmer is a freshwater insect. But
Common name : Flat huntsman spider Scientific name : Delena cancerides Family : Sparassidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : This species has been made famous as the spider was used in the beginning of the first Spiderman movie. About 8 inches in size, this spider is light brown in colour and hairy. Unlike
The Gallus gallus domesticus (scientific name) or Polish chicken is found in Europe. This breed’s unique characteristic is the crest of feathers. It is known for the ‘V’ shaped comb, wattles and earlobes. The wattles are usually bright red and ear lobes are white. Various species come in a variety of colours, but all of
Common name : Bagworm moth Scientific name : Cebysa leucotelus Family : Psychidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : The covering formed by the caterpillar to pupate is an extremely untidy mess and can be found on rock walls. This case keeps growing as the bag moth keeps adding material to the front. This moth’s
Common name : Assassin bug Scientific name : Stenolemus fraterculus Family : Reduviidae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : The assassin bug got its name because of the way it eats its prey. It first stings its prey with a poison which dissolves the prey’s tissues and then sucks out its tissues! Only one
Common name : Asian paper wasp Scientific name : Polistes chinensis Family : Vespidae Native to : East Asia (China and Japan) Interesting fact : The queen with the help of the workers destroys nearly 70% of the laid eggs. This process is known as worker policing. Hardly an inch in length, this insect is
The Chrysolophus amherstiae (scientific name) or Lady Amherst’s pheasant is endemic to South-Western China and Mayanmar. 39-47 inches in length, this bird has a very long tail, which almost accounts for 30 inches of its total length. The male has black-silver feathers on the head and neck, which resemble a head-gear. The crown is red,
Common name : Soldier ant Scientific name: Eciton burchellii Family : Formicidae Native to : Spread worldwide Interesting fact : There are over 200 species of soldier ants. They are named such due to their aggressive behaviour of foraging simultaneously at a specific place. These groups are known as raids. Unlike other ants, army ants
Common name : Mountain apollo Scientific name : Parnassius apollo Family : Papilionidae Native to : Continental Europe, Central Europe and Alps Interesting fact : The apollo has large eye-like spots on both its wings so as to distract its enemy. Another important defence mechanism is its foul taste. The apollo’s diet is comprised
Common name : Hopper Scientific name : Amphipoda Family : Talitridae Native to : Worldwide distribution Interesting fact : The name ‘amphipoda’ has Greek origin, in which it means ‘different foot’, referring to 2 different kinds of legs. Amphipods have 13 segments to their bodies. Generally less than 10 mm in length, depending on
Common name : Plant louse Scientific name : Aphididae Family : Aphididae Native to : Temperate zones across the globe Interesting fact : With over 4,000 species across the globe, these pests multiply in leaps and bounds on account of their asexual reproduction capabilities. 0.04 inch to 0.40 inch in length, aphids have soft
The Tachyphonus cristatus (scientific name) or flame-crested tanager is found in tropical moist lowland forests and dry shrublands of South America, from Bolivia and Brazil to French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. 5.9 inches in length, the overall plumage is glossy black, excepting the yellow-orange coloured crest it has on its head, which looks