Arthropod

The Old World swallowtail (or Papilio machaon) is a butterfly living in the temperate regions, woodlands and even tundras of Europe, Asia and North America. It has pale yellow wings with grey-black patterning on the forewings, and blue-black accents as well as red eyespots on the hindwings. The hindwings also have an extended ‘tail’, for which they are named swallowtail. There is no sexual dimorphism in size and appearance in the Old World swallowtail, and its average wingspan is 6.5cm to 8.6cm. The caterpillar is plump and pale green with black and orange markings on each body segment.

The monarch (or Danaus plexippus) is a butterfly found in a wide range worldwide, but is most commonly seen in North and South America. Monarchs have a wingspan of 8.9cm to 10.2cm and weigh approximately 0.5g. Its wings are orange-red with prominent black veins, lined with thick black edges and white spots. Their legs and antennae are black, and their body is black with white spots. Monarch caterpillars have a plump body covered with yellow, black and white stripes.

The Menelaus blue morpho (or Morpho menelaus) is a butterfly species found in the tropical grasslands and woodlands of Central and South America. It has distinctive bright blue and turquoise wings lined by black wing borders with white spots. The scales on their wings are structured in a way that give them a distinct, iridescent appearance. The underside of its wings are brown and populated with multiple eye spots. Male Menelaus blue morphos are smaller and have much brighter blue wings with thinner borders than females. On average, the Menelaus blue has a wingspan of 12cm.

The European peacock (or Aglais io) is a species of butterfly living throughout the temperate grasslands and woodlands of Europe and Asia. It has four red wings with brown edges and distinctive eye spots. These eye spots may be made up of yellow, blue, red or purple scales and have black surrounding marks. The undersides of the wings are brown to black. Males and females looks alike, although females may be up to 10% larger than males. European peacocks reach a wingspan of 5cm to 6.4cm.

The cloudless sulphur (or Phoebis sennae) is a butterfly found in temperate open areas – grasslands, parks, gardens, watercourses and seashores – of North, Central and South America. It has yellow wings with brown and/or black spots and borders. Females tend to be less vibrant than males and have yellow spots along the dark wing borders. The cloudless sulphur has a wingspan of 5.5cm to 7.8cm. Caterpillars of the cloudless sulphur are bright yellow or green with a yellow stripe and blue spots along each side.

The sacred scarab beetle is a dung beetle native to the coastal dunes and marshes around the Mediterranean Sea, meaning it is found in North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The head of the scarab beetle has 6 oblong projections and its front legs have an additional 4 each, giving the appearance of an arc of rays on the beetle’s front end. The sacred scarab beetle is 10 to 25mm in size and has a shiny, black carapace.

The giant Malaysian leaf insect is a large species of insect that lives in the Western tropical rainforests of Malaysia. This species exhibits extraordinary camouflage. As its name suggests, it has evolved to blend in with the leaves of the trees in which it lives. Females are 12cm in length, broad and flat in appearance and have small vestigial wings that do not allow them to fly. Males are approximately 9cm in length and much more slender. They have long wings and can fly.

The giant forest scorpion (or Heterometrus swammerdami titanicus) is a large species of arachnid that lives in the tropical rainforests of India and Sri Lanka. It’s a stout, black coloured animal with thick chitinous body plates and very large pincers. It may also have a blue or green sheen to its cuticle. The giant forest scorpion’s pincers are strong and capable of catching and crushing prey, whereas its venom is relatively weak; most likely because it relies more on the strength of its pincers than the potency of its sting.

The titan beetle (or Titanus giganteus) is an extremely large species that lives in the tropical rainforests of South America. It has a large reddish-brown and black abdomen, black coloration on its legs, antennae and thorax, and pale wings with brown vein structures. The beetle’s robust mandibles are strong enough to snap through twigs and, while both sexes have wings, only the males are capable of flight. Like many species, it is threatened by the ongoing destruction of the rainforest habitat that it calls home.

The Mexican red knee tarantula (or Brachypelma hamorii) is a species of spider that lives in the scrublands, deserts and forests of Mexico. It has a black body and legs, orange-red coloration on the joints and, like all tarantula species, a body that’s covered in sensitive hairs. They measure around 10cm long with a leg span of 15cm and are nocturnal, living in burrows during the day and spending their nights hunting for prey. They feed on insects, small amphibians and small mammals.