Marvellous Marvellous Mini-beastsMini-beastsDesign a SpeciesDesign a Species

What is a What is a mini-beastmini-beast??

What is a mini-beast?

Scorpions Butterflies & moths Slugs & snails

Dragonflies & damselflies Spiders Beetles

What is a mini-beast?

Take many shapes and forms

Invertebrates have no backbone or internal skeleton

Invertebrates have an exoskeleton

How many legs?

0, 6, 8 or lots!

What is adaptation?

“the way animals and plants become better at living in their habitat”

•Adaptations allow animals and plants to live successfully in their habitat.

•Animals and plants that live in different habitats need different adaptations.

Movement

Centipede Earthworm

Snail Dragonfly

Escaping predators

Ladybird Monarch butterfly

Apollo butterfly Pill millipede

Camouflage

Stick insect

Peppered moth

Effective hunting

House spider

Scorpion Trapdoor spider

Not all mini-beasts hunt…

Leaf-cutter ants

Dung beetle

Swallowtail butterfly

...some are herbivores!

Winning a mate

Male rhinoceros beetle

Design your own mini-beast!

Things to think about…

• How does it move?

• How does it defend itself against predators?

• Is it brightly coloured or camouflaged?

• What does it eat?

• How does it attract mates?

• Does it live with other members of the same species?

• Where does it live? E.g. trees? Burrows? Underground?

Introducing the “flying leaf creeper”

Things to think about as you design your mini-beast…

• How does it move?

• How does it defend itself against predators?

• Is it brightly coloured or camouflaged?

• What does it eat?

• How does it attract mates?

• Does it live with other members of the same species?

• Where does it live? E.g. trees? Burrows? Underground?

Identifying Newly Discovered Amphibians