Minibeasts
Minibeasts are small living things. They are insects like flies, Crabs, lobsters, shrimp and woodlice are all examples of crustaceans. They're a classification of animals which are known for having hard shells, or exoskeletons, on the outside of their bodies. like shrimps, and All arachnids have 8 legs and their bodies are split into two parts and, unlike insects, have no wings or antennae. like spiders.
Watch: What are minibeasts?
Learn some facts about minibeasts.
It’s easy to forget that we’re surrounded by hundreds and thousands of tiny little creepy crawlies called minibeasts.
Minibeasts can also go by the more scientific term, invertebrates. This includes insects, crustaceans, millipedes and centipedes, even arachnids.
Being an invertebrate means they don’t have backbones like us. Instead, some have soft and slimy bodies, or some have shells, like snails.
Some minibeasts have a really thin but super strong layer on the outside of their bodies. Creatures like ants, woodlice and even spiders all have this hard layer and it’s called an exoskeleton. It protects their squidgy bodies underneath!
So, next time you’re out in the garden, or at the park, or at the beach, look under rocks, in bushes, on trees, or flowers, or the soil. You’re bound to see some minibeasts. They’re everywhere!
Minibeast facts
All minibeasts are invertebrates. This means they don't have a backbone.
To protect themselves, some minibeasts have shells, like snails.
Some have a hard outer layer called an An exoskeleton is a hard covering that supports and protects the bodies of some types of animals. The word exoskeleton means “outside skeleton. Ants, woodlice and spiders all have exoskeletons to keep them safe.
Watch: Magnificent minibeasts
Explore the world of magnificent minibeasts.
Can you remember what minibeasts you spotted in the video? How many can you name?
Well done! Did you remember all 10?
In the video we saw:
- caterpillars
- spiders
- centipedes
- millipedes
- worms
- slugs
- snails
- ladybirds
- earwigs
- stag beetles
Watch: Minibeasts in the wild
Watch these minibeasts in the wild.
VOICEOVER: "Beetles, a scorpion, a centipede, a spider, and a caterpillar. These are just a few of the thousands and thousands of different types of creatures that we call minibeasts. Minibeasts are animals without a backbone. This makes them soft and bendy, and because of this, some of them have to have hard shells to live in."
"Some minibeasts, like these leaf insects, are great at disguising themselves as a dead leaf or a damaged leaf or a green leaf! Perfect for keeping themselves safe."
"This bombardier beetle has got a real hot trick up its sleeve. If something tries to grab it, it squirts a boiling liquid from its body. These pictures are slowed down so that you can see what happens."
"This beetle avoids being eaten by squirting a disgusting liquid from its nose… Eww, horrible!"
Lots of insects fly, like this dung beetle. They keep their wings underneath their hard shells on their backs. This one's flying and homing in on some smelly dung. Now, he's rolling it away to eat later."
"These minibeasts are ants, leaf-cutter ants."
"And look how strong these army ants are! They can carry stuff that weighs much more than they do."
"These ants are talking to each other using touch and smell."
"There are minibeasts everywhere we go. Next time you're outside, see if you can see some minibeasts."
Activities
Test your knowledge of minibeasts with the activities below.
Activity 1: Spotting the minibeasts
Activity 2: Minibeasts quiz
Activity 3: Minibeast hunt
Go on a minibeast hunt around your garden or local park.
Look for as many different minibeasts as you can find. Use the worksheet below to help you identify the minibeasts you see.
When on your minibeast hunt, how could you record your findings?
You could:
- take photographs
- draw the minibeasts you find
- create a tick list and tick them off as you find them
Minibeast hunt tracker
Minibeasts like to live in dark, damp areas so you might need to look under stones, in trees or bushes, or under fallen leaves.
You could ask a grown-up to help!
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