Invertebrates

Invertebrates are animals that do not have a

backbone.
Most of the animals on earth are invertebrates.
Invertebrates are are cold-blooded; their body
temperature depends on the temperature of
their environment.
FACT: Invertebrates were the first animals to evolve.
FACT: Invertebrates are often most noted for what
they lack: a backbone and a bony skeleton.
FACT: Invertebrates account for 97 percent of all
known species.
FACT: The simplest invertebrates, in fact the
simplest animals, are sponges.
FACT: Most invertebrates change form as they grow,
going through a process known as metamorphosis.

Egyptian Giant Solpugid

(Camel Spider)

Fast Facts
Type:
Bug/invertebrate
Diet:
Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:
Less than one year
Size:
6 in (15 cm)
Weight: 2 oz (56 g)

Nudibranch

Fast Facts
Type:
Invertebrate
Diet:
Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:
Up to 1 year
Size:
0.25 to 12 in (6 mm to 31 cm)
Weight:
Up to 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Did you know?
Some nudibranchs are solar-powered, storing
algae in their outer tissues and living off the
sugars produced by the algaes

photosynhesis.

Giant Pacific Octopus

Fast Facts
Type:
Invertebrate
Diet:
Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:
3 to 5 years
Size:
9.75 to 16 ft (3 to 5 m)
Weight:
22 to 110 lbs (10 to 50 kg)
Did you know?
The appendages of octopuses are called
arms, not tentacles.

Blue Crab

Fast Facts
Type:
Invertebrate
Diet:
Omnivore
Average life span in the wild:
1 to 3 years
Size:
4 in (10.2 cm) long; 9 in (23 cm) wide
Weight:
1 to 2 lbs (0.45 to 0.9 kg)
Group name:
Cast
Did you know?
Female blue crabs mate only once in their lives.

Golden Jellyfish

Fast Facts
Type:
Invertebrate
Size:
Up to 5.5 in (14 to 16 cm)
Group name:
Smack
Protection status:
None
Did you know?
Golden jellyfish isolated in Jellyfish Lake
have lost their sting.