Physical World/Invertebrates

	Box jellyfish class Cubozoa Distinguished by their cube-shaped medusae. Some species of box jellyfish produce extremely potent venom Found in the Indo-Pacific region, notably off the coast of Australia
	Portuguese man o’ war Physalia physalis Not a common jellyfish but a colony of specialized minute individuals called zooids Name comes from the supposed resemblance to the Portuguese version of an armed sailing ship at full sail
	Crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci The adult crown-of-thorns is a carnivorous predator that usually preys on reef coral polyps Most common on the Great Barrier Reef
	Japanese spider crab Macrocheira kaempferi It has the greatest leg span of any arthropod, reaching 3.8 m (12 ft) from claw to claw. The whole crab can weigh up to 19 kilograms (42 lb) – second only to the American lobster among all living arthropod species
	Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis Endemic to Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean Well known for their annual mass migration to the sea to lay their eggs in the ocean
	Fiddler crab genus Uca Well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males’ major claw is much larger than the minor claw while the females’ claws are both the same size
	Horseshoe crab family Limulidae Living fossils. The earliest horseshoe crab fossils are from 450 million years ago Do not have haemoglobin in their blood, but instead use haemocyanin to carry oxygen. Because of the copper present in haemocyanin, their blood is blue
	Vampire squid Vampyroteuthis infernalis Name means "vampire squid of Hell" The animal's dark colour, cloak-like webbing, and red eyes give the vampire squid its name — it does not feed on blood
	Nautilus family Nautilidae Living fossils The nautilus shell presents one of the finest natural examples of a logarithmic spiral Swims using jet propulsion
	Sea cucumber class Holothuroidea Have a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide and are used in Chinese cuisine
	Tardigrade Phylum Tardigrada Also known as water bear or moss piglet Tardigrades are notable for being perhaps the most durable known organisms, able to survive extreme conditions. They are 0.5 mm long when fully grown
	Queen Alexandra’s birdwing Ornithoptera alexandrae The largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans of 25 cm (9.8 inches). Only found  in Papua New Guinea Named in honour of Alexandra of Denmark
	Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus Milkweed butterfly known for its annual late-summer/autumn migration from the United States and southern Canada to Mexico covering thousands of miles
	Atlas moth Attacus atlas Considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area, but recent sources confer this title upon the Hercules Moth Common across the Malay archipelago
	Bullet ant Paraponera clavata Named on account of its powerful and potent sting due to its venom. The pain caused by the sting is ranked as the most painful according to the Schmidt sting pain index Distributed throughout Central America and South America
	Cuckoo bee subfamily Nomadinae Refers to a number of bees which have evolved the kleptoparasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees. Often wasp-like in appearance
	Periodical cicada genus Magicicada After 13 or 17 years, mature cicada nymphs emerge at any given locality, synchronously and in tremendous numbers. After mating and egg laying, the adult cicadas are gone for another 13 or 17 years
	Goliath beetle family Scarabaeidae Among the largest insects on Earth. Males can be 110 mm (4.3 in) in length Prominent markings common to all of the Goliathus species are the sharply contrasting black vertical stripes on the thoracic shield
	Dung beetle family Scarabaeidae A dung beetle can bury dung 250 times heavier than itself in one night Several species of the dung beetle, most notably the species Scarabaeus sacer, enjoyed a sacred status among the ancient Egyptians
	Stag beetle family Lucanidae Name is derived from the large and distinctive mandibles found on the males of most species, which resemble the antlers of stags The species Lucanus cervus is the largest terrestrial insect in Europe
	Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus If has a bite capable of causing serious injury or death in humans if left untreated A funnel-web's burrow characteristically has irregular silk trip-lines radiating from the entrance
	Redback spider Latrodectus hasseltii Venomous spider indigenous to Australia. The adult female is easily recognised by a prominent red stripe on the upper side of her abdomen and an hourglass-shaped red/orange streak on the underside. May be found on the underside of toilet seats
	Black widow spider Latrodectus mactans Well known for the distinctive black and red coloring of the female of the species that will occasionally eat her mate after reproduction. The species is native to North America. The venom is seldom fatal to humans
	False widow spider genus Steatoda Many spiders of the genus Steatoda are often mistaken for widow spiders (Latrodectus); however Steatoda are significantly less harmful to humans