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The World of Minibeasts

Terrestrial Minibeasts are different

 

Centrotus cornutus (English name?)

A minibeast's most remarkable feature is his
or her natural armour. This armour is actually the minibeast's
skeleton. 

Tachindae (English-Name?)

A minibeast does not wear its skeleton inside, with muscles on the outside like you do, but outside with their muscles and organs within.  Grabwespe
This makes minibeasts look weird to human
eyes. Some appear heavily armed, others quite chic. 
Phymata crassipes Minibeasts may see the world through many eyes or explore it on many legs.  Springspinne Their nose may be located on on their antennae or their ears on their legs.
Portrait of a Red Admiral (Butterfly) Their mouths may be made of tubes, trunks, pincers or similar appendages.  Anthophora acervorum - a bee extends its trunk(?? toung?) They are able to move all these parts
simultaneously. 
Carabus violaceus (English name)
Many of them can do things that we can do only using modern technology: flying, living underwater, or often both.  Oedipoda coerulescens, flying They communicate via infrasound or ultrasound. The "Glow-worm" - a beetle equipped with illuminating (? ) organs at its hind end. Some of them can produce light.
Garden Tiger (Moth) producing a poisonous liquid from its shoulder joint They practise chemical warfare... 

Wedding party of Hoplisus laticinctus

...and as to their emotions?  Well, we can only guess.   Elasmucha grisea (English name?) guarding her eggs

 

If you want to enter the World of Minibeasts the easiest way is to select a story. You can get to the stories from the link at the top of this page.


back to the message   Message Minibeasts Differ

Photographs by José Verkest, text by Maria Pfeifer