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The Living Encyclopedia
Explore our comprehensive database of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Discover detailed care guides, morph varieties, and community setups.
invertebrate
Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax
Phidippus audax, the bold jumper or daring jumping spider, is a common species of spider belonging to the genus Phidippus, a group of jumping spiders easily identified by their large eyes and their iridescent chelicerae. Like all jumping spiders, they have excellent stereoscopic vision that aids them in stalking prey and facilitates visual communication with potential mates during courting. Bold jumping spiders are native to North America and have been introduced to Hawaii, Nicobar Islands, Azores, and the Netherlands.
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invertebrate
Orb Weaver
Argiope aurantia
Argiope aurantia is a species of spider, commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, zipper spider, black and yellow argiope, corn spider, Steeler spider, or McKinley spider. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1833. It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to "gilded silver-face". The body length of males range from 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in); females range from 19–28 mm (0.75–1.10 in). The average female body mass is about 752.0 mg. These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is harmless to non-allergic humans, roughly equivalent to a bumblebee sting in intensity.
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invertebrate
Wolf Spider
Hogna carolinensis
Hogna carolinensis, commonly-known as the Carolina wolf spider and giant wolf spider, is found across North America. It is the largest of the wolf spiders in North America, typically measuring at 18-20mm for males and 22-35mm for females.
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invertebrate
Scorpion
Pandinus imperator
The emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator) is a species of scorpion native to rainforests and savannas in West Africa. It is one of the largest scorpions in the world and lives for six to eight years. Its body is black, but like other scorpions it glows pastel green or blue under ultraviolet light. It is a popular species in the pet trade, and is protected by CITES to prevent over-collecting that might affect the species' survival.
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invertebrate
Hermit Crab
Coenobita clypeatus
The Caribbean hermit crab, also known as the soldier crab, West Atlantic crab, tree crab, or purple pincher, is a species of land hermit crab native to the west Atlantic, Belize, southern Florida, Venezuela, and the West Indies.
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F
invertebrate
Fiddler Crab
Uca pugilator
Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator)
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invertebrate
Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Callinectes sapidus, commonly known as the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally.
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invertebrate
Lobster
Homarus americanus
The American lobster is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, northern lobster, Canadian Reds, or Maine lobster. It can reach a body length of 64 cm (25 in), and a mass of over 20 kilograms (44 lb), making it not only the heaviest crustacean in the world, but also the heaviest of all living arthropod species. Its closest relative is the European lobster Homarus gammarus, which can be distinguished by its coloration and the lack of spines on the underside of the rostrum. American lobsters are usually bluish green to brown with red spines, but several color variations have been observed.
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invertebrate
Crayfish
Procambarus clarkii
Procambarus clarkii, known variously as the red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish or mudbug, is a species of cambarid crayfish native to freshwater bodies of northern Mexico, and southern and southeastern United States, but also introduced elsewhere, where it is often an invasive pest.
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invertebrate
Shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Neocaridina davidi, also known as the cherry shrimp, is a freshwater shrimp native to Taiwan, east of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Vietnam, that is sold globally in the aquatic pet trade. They are omnivores, and their natural habitat in these regions include inland water bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. N. davidi is also able to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and as a result of this is also becoming invasive in thermally polluted waterways of Japan, the United States, Poland, and Germany. It is thought that the release of captive shrimp has led to their presence in these environments. Their natural coloration, or wild type, is a mottled brown, but N. davidi has been selectively bred to produce a diverse array of color morphs including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, white, clear, and more. The popularity of the red morph has led to N. davidi also being known as "cherry shrimp". N. davidi do not have a distinct larval stage, reach maturity in 30 days, and may live 1–2 years. At maturity, the shrimp are approximately 3–4 cm in length.
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invertebrate
Snail
Helix pomatia
Helix pomatia, known as the Roman snail, Burgundy snail, or escargot, is a species of large, air-breathing stylommatophoran land snail native to Europe. It is characterized by a globular brown shell. It is an edible species which commonly occurs synanthropically throughout its range.
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invertebrate
Slug
Arion ater
Arion ater, the black slug, is a large terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Arionidae, the round back slugs.
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invertebrate
Octopus
Octopus vulgaris
The common octopus is a mollusk belonging to the class Cephalopoda. Octopus vulgaris is one of the most studied of all octopus species, and also one of the most intelligent. It ranges from the eastern Atlantic, extends from the Mediterranean Sea, Black sea and the southern coast of England, to the southern coast of South Africa. It also occurs off the Azores, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde Islands. The species is also common in the Western Atlantic.
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invertebrate
Squid
Loligo vulgaris
The European squid or common squid is a large squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. It occurs abundantly in coastal waters from the North Sea to at least the west coast of Africa. This species lives from sea level to depths of 500 m (1,600 ft). Its mantle is up to 40 cm (16 in) long. The species is extensively exploited by commercial fisheries.
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invertebrate
Cuttlefish
Sepia officinalis
The common cuttlefish or European common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100–200 metres (330–660 ft) during autumn and winter. They grow to 49 centimetres (19 in) in mantle length and 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. Animals from subtropical seas are smaller and rarely exceed 30 centimetres (12 in) in mantle length.
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invertebrate
Nautilus
Nautilus pompilius
The chambered nautilus, also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it is not a golden spiral. The shell exhibits countershading, being light on the bottom and dark on top. This is to help avoid predators, because when seen from above, it blends in with the darkness of the sea, and when seen from below, it blends in with the light coming from above.
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invertebrate
Jellyfish
Aurelia aurita
Aurelia aurita is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae and the type species of its genus, Aurelia. It is found in the north Atlantic and in Argentina, and is not dangerous to humans.
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invertebrate
Sea Anemone
Anthopleura elegantissima
The aggregating anemone, or clonal anemone, is the most abundant species of sea anemone found on rocky, tide swept shores along the Pacific coast of North America. This cnidarian hosts endosymbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that contribute substantially to primary productivity in the intertidal zone. The aggregating anemone has become a model organism for the study of temperate cnidarian-algal symbioses. They are most well known for the ability to clone themselves.
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invertebrate
Coral
Acropora cervicornis
The staghorn coral is a branching, stony coral, within the Order Scleractinia. It is characterized by thick, upright branches which can grow in excess of 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height and resemble the antlers of a stag, hence the name, Staghorn. It grows within various areas of a reef but is most commonly found within shallow fore and back reefs, as well as patch reefs, where water depths rarely exceed 20 meters (65 ft). Staghorn corals can exhibit very fast growth, adding up to 5 cm in new skeleton for every 1 cm of existing skeleton each year, making them one of the fastest growing fringe coral species in the Western Atlantic. Due to this fast growth, Acropora cervicornis, serve as one of the most important reef building corals, functioning as marine nurseries for juvenile fish, buffer zones for erosion and storms, and center points of biodiversity in the Western Atlantic.
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invertebrate
Starfish
Asterias rubens
The common starfish, common sea star or sugar starfish is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. Belonging to the family Asteriidae, it has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens are known. The common starfish is usually orange or brownish in color, and sometimes violet; specimens found in deeper waters are pale. The common starfish is found on rocky and gravelly substrates where it feeds on mollusks and other benthic invertebrates.
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