meet me in the detritus layer

globular springtail wannabe

[darkmoonhyena]

Inspecting my grean

[darkmoonhyena]

Yep that's grean!

[glavilio]

i hate when people defend those horrible monoculture lawns because they don't want bugs outside. like we don't live on planet bug

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Steel Blue Ladybug

Bugs Are Truly Spectacular And Here Are Pics To Prove That

Photographer: Electronic Chimera

[seeyoulaterallig8r-deactivated2]

its of utmost importance you have sound on while watching this

[augustdementhe]

If you can’t make use of the sound, please imagine the soft snuffles of a hand vacuum that’s capable of love.

[lacefuneral]

i love it, sniff animal

[lacefuneral]

sniff animal saturday

[vangoghcore]

by nuqui_herping

[tollboothnoodles]

@onenicebugperday

today their dinner is.. strawberry.

[montereybayaquarium]

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[bugshroom]

They Rolls up into a Ball…

[drawsoneverything]

Creature party

[getmossed]

It's difficult to explain to people the difference between passively liking bugs vs being a Bug Person (autistic). Where you see a small rhinoceros beetle trundling across the path I see god

[bogleech]

Today I learned that I've apparently long been in a Florida Gardening Group on Facebook and also that nobody in it knows anything about nature. "I never heard this referred to as "native???" is the wildest response I think, literally wording it like they don't believe me that this organism is native to the one and only part of the world it has ever been known to exist in

"intruder" what a word to use for an animal that was there first :0 Am I going to get banned from Florida Gardening Facebook

[bogleech]

Okay so it turns out there are actually a lot of people in the group who are cool and wise and love ecology

....But an equal number of people who only care about a pretty flowerbed and thought the word "invasive" meant anything inconvenient to humans, and I may have just accidentally set off a war between these two types of people

[crevicedwelling]

here is a Scolopendra mutilans lapping up mango juice from a spoon

while giant centipedes are mostly predators that feed on insects and small vertebrates, they may occasionally enjoy a sweet fruit treat! several species have been seen eating fruit in the wild, and pet centipedes seem to enjoy it now and then.

[forevergulag-deactivated2026013]

why is this so cute. OP please help. please

[crevicedwelling]

it’s cute because centipedes are cute! you know this now.

[crevicedwelling]

rehoused Cassie today! she’s been due for a substrate refresh and a better burrow for a while. I think she likes this new cork hollow—it’s super deep and she scooted* right in with a happy butt wiggle

*shambled, rather. Cassandra isn’t a lady of speed unless pressured. she’s got 8 legs but averages about one step every 30 seconds.

photo from before the rehouse, excuse her “ew gross a human” pose

[crevicedwelling]

Cassie hasn’t eaten in a full 10 months, and her fat reserves are voluptuous as ever. the life of a burrowing desert spider is a very slow one.

[crevicedwelling]

oh my bad actually she hasn’t eaten for a year and ten months, this girl is so good at the sitting and doing nothing

[crevicedwelling]

Cassie ate a cockroach last night 🎉 🎊

[ampervadasz]

[red-faced-wolf-deactivated20251]

He’s playing snake

[earthstory]

[kedreeva]

He’s being cleaned, not just pet, but judging by that big contented rumble you can hear, he’s quite enjoying it!

[stephendann]

When you’re a prehistoric dinosaur and it’s scritches time

[xxtc-96xx]

brushie brushie brushie 

[ospreyonthemoon]

It really is fascinating that basically every animal on earth that has some sort of skin integument enjoys a lil scratch. I mean it makes sense but like. Humans evolved from social grooming animals and we have perfect little grooming hands and basically everything on earth with scales, fur or feathers can basically be convinced to let us give them free back scratches. Humans don’t even get anything out of it other than the satisfaction of helping out. We’re just really good at it. What a useful creature to be put on a planet full of animals who can’t reach their backs.

[strawberryamanita]

That beastie is straight-up PURRING 💟💟💟

[kaijutegu]

This is a REALLY GOOD example of an alligator who’s happy with his situation. As I’ve talked about distressed alligator behavior before, it’s worth it to point out how you can tell that this fella is absolutely pleased as punch to be having his back scratched.

Vocalization: Alligators are one of the most vocal reptile species. The noise he’s making is not a warning or sign of irritation; that kind of rumble is something they do when they’re happy. (You’ll hear it during courtship a lot!)

Notice that he settles right down when she starts brushing. If alligators don’t like something, the first thing they try to do is leave. But he does the opposite- he settles down in the grass and for lack of a better word, melts. See how at how a couple of seconds in, his hind leg goes back? He tucks it back in when he hits the keeper’s foot, but what he’s doing there is the start of the oh-so-scientifically named “sleepy feets.” He’s not just being still- he’s relaxing.

Look at how he keeps his eyes open, even when she’s brushing up near his head! Closed eyes can be a mixed bag with reptiles. Sometimes it means sleepy contentment; other times it means they’re desperately trying to block out visual stimulus. This guy is so used to this and enjoying it so much that he’s keeping his eyes open- which also shows how much he trusts that human. He knows those bristles aren’t going anywhere near his eyes.

[marinella-ela]

[hotvampireadjacent]

@ofishal-fish-posts

[mevil]

[bogleech]

One of my favorite animals in the world! In this video you can see how they usually swim around on their backs, with their snoot pointed upwards! Also just the way this video is directed is great

I strongly feel this is an animal group that deserves to go as viral in our society as giant isopods, tardigrades, mole rats or sloths have in the past few years. It's adorable and ridiculous but totally alien and there's nothing else quite like them in all the world.