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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
Wolf Spider
Lycosidae
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight.
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invertebrate
Jumping Spider
Salticidae
Jumping spiders are spiders in the family Salticidae, with almost 700 genera and around 7,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders – comprising 13% of spider species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods — being capable of stereoptic color vision — and use sight in courtship, hunting, and navigation.
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invertebrate
Regal Jumping Spider
Phidippus regius
Phidippus regius, commonly known as the regal jumper, is a species of jumping spider found in parts of the United States and the Caribbean. It is the largest species of jumping spider in eastern North America.
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invertebrate
Golden Silk Orb-Weaver
Trichonephila clavipes
Trichonephila clavipes, commonly known as the golden silk orb-weaver, golden silk spider, golden orb weaver spider or colloquially banana spider, is an orb-weaving spider species which inhabits forests and wooded areas ranging from the southern US to Argentina. It is indigenous to both continental North and South America. Known for the golden color of their silk, the large size of their females, and their distinctive red-brown and yellow coloring, T. clavipes construct large, asymmetrical circular webs attached to trees and low shrubs in woods to catch small- and medium-size flying prey, mostly insects. They are excellent web-builders, producing and utilizing seven different types of silk, and they subdue their prey by injecting them with venom, as opposed to related species which immobilize their prey by wrapping them in silk first. They are not known to be aggressive towards humans, only biting out of self-defense if touched, and their relatively harmless venom has a low toxicity, posing little health concern to healthy human adults. Due to their prevalence in forests, T. clavipes may be encountered by hikers.
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invertebrate
Black Widow
Latrodectus
Latrodectus is a broadly distributed genus of spiders informally called the widow spiders, with several species that are commonly known as the true widows. This group is composed of those often called black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders.
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invertebrate
Brown Recluse
Loxosceles reclusa
The brown recluse is a recluse spider with necrotic venom. Similar to those of other recluse spiders, their bites sometimes require medical attention. The brown recluse is one of two spiders in North America with dangerous venom, the other being the black widow.
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invertebrate
Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
Atrax robustus
The Sydney funnel-web spider is a species of venomous mygalomorph spider native to eastern Australia, usually found within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of Sydney. It is a member of a group of spiders known as Australian funnel-web spiders. Its bite is capable of causing serious illness or death in humans if left untreated.
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invertebrate
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula
Brachypelma boehmei
Brachypelma boehmei is a tarantula native to Mexico in Guerrero state. These long-lived tarantulas prefer burrowing and hiding in dry scrubland. As with all closely related tarantula species, they defend themselves with urticating hair when provoked.
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invertebrate
Mexican Red-Rump Tarantula
Tliltocatl vagans
Tliltocatl vagans is a species of tarantula known commonly as the Mexican red rump. It ranges predominantly in Mexico, but is also found in Central America. They are terrestrial, burrowing spiders. The reason for the name red rump is because of its distinctive red hairs on its abdomen. Like most tarantulas, they will eat anything they can overpower, which is usually insects, but small lizards and rodents may also be consumed. They can grow up to a solid 6.5 inch leg span, with males typically being smaller and thinner than the females. They prefer shrubland habitats.
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S
invertebrate
Singapore Blue Tarantula
Omothymus violaceopes
Singapore Blue Tarantula (Omothymus violaceopes)
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invertebrate
Gooty Sapphire Tarantula
Poecilotheria metallica
Poecilotheria metallica, also known as the peacock tarantula, or the Gooty sapphire tarantula, is an Old World species of tarantula. It is the only blue species of the genus Poecilotheria. Like others in its genus it exhibits an intricate fractal-like pattern on the abdomen. The species' natural habitat is deciduous forest in Andhra Pradesh, in central southern India. It has been classified as Critically endangered by the IUCN.
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invertebrate
Socotra Island Blue Baboon
Monocentropus balfouri
Monocentropus balfouri is a tarantula in the Monocentropus genus. It was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1897. The species is also called Socotra Island blue baboon tarantula, usually shortened to blue baboon tarantula. The scientific name refers to the collector Isaac Bayley Balfour. The Spider is found on Socotra Island, hence the common name. This tarantula is terrestrial and an opportunistic burrower. Like many tarantulas, M. balfouri can be kept as a pet, although it is not a beginner species.
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invertebrate
Brazilian Whiteknee Tarantula
Acanthoscurria geniculata
The Brazilian whiteknee tarantula is a species of tarantula from Brazil that is commonly kept as a pet.
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invertebrate
Chinese Mantis
Tenodera sinensis
The Chinese mantis is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896, this species was accidentally introduced by a nursery tender at Mt. Airy near Philadelphia, United States. Tenodera sinensis often is erroneously referred to as Tenodera aridifolia sinensis because it was at first described as a subspecies of Tenodera aridifolia, but Tenodera sinensis is now established as a full species.
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invertebrate
Carolina Mantis
Stagmomantis carolina
The Carolina mantis is a species of praying mantis of the subfamily Stagmomantinae.
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B
invertebrate
Budwing Mantis
Parasphendale affinis
Budwing Mantis (Parasphendale affinis)
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invertebrate
Thistle Mantis
Blepharopsis mendica
Blepharopsis mendica is a species of praying mantis found in North Africa, parts of the Mediterranean, Middle East and southern Asia, and on the Canary Islands, and the sole member of the genus Blepharopsis. Egyptian flower mantis, thistle mantis, and Arab mantis are among its common names.
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invertebrate
Wandering Violin Mantis
Gongylus gongylodes
Gongylus gongylodes, also known as the wandering violin mantis, ornate mantis, or Indian rose mantis, is a species of praying mantis in the family Empusidae. Characterized by extremely slender limbs with large appendages, it is not a particularly aggressive species and often kept as a pet. The mantis is especially known for swaying its body back and forth to imitate a stick flowing in the wind. It primarily feeds on flying insects. Its native range is in southern India and Sri Lanka. It can reach up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The males of the species are capable of flight. They are a communal species, in that they are able to live and breed in large groups, without unnecessary cannibalism. Adult females are about 10cm and adult males are about 9 cm.
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bird
Owl Finch
Taeniopygia bichenovii
The double-barred finch is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face. It is the only species placed in the genus Stizoptera .
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bird
Cut-Throat Finch
Amadina fasciata
The cut-throat finch is a common species of estrildid finch found throughout Africa; it is also known as the bearded finch, the ribbon finch, the cut throat, and the weaver finch.
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