I am ignorant in this field. If not an insect, what is it? [Serious question]
#notaworm
Submitted 2 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/33d0e119-0447-4b74-9f1d-e9744bb7c318.jpeg
Comments
JoMiran@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
SmoothLiquidation@lemmy.world 2 months ago
These are part of their own family of invertebrates.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychophora
Insects are a specific family that have 6 legs. So a bee or an ant are insects but a spider or a rolls polly is not.
Classy@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
flora_explora@beehaw.org 2 months ago
Well… The taxonomy of invertebrates is pretty complicated and diverse and there are many huge groups of invertebrates. Velvet worms (Onychophora) seem to be their own thing, so maybe just think of them as another invertebrate group. Like molluscs (snails, mussels, cephalopods), or tardigrades or nematodes, these are all their own groups as well. But obviously this is all much more complicated if you look at it in detail.
Insects are also invertebrates, but are just one group within the arthropods, which also contain e.g. spiders, crustaceans, millipedes. Maybe a good rule would be that there aren’t any worms in the insects. And that all insects have six legs. So if something has more legs, it’s not an insect.
Hope that helps? The more you dig down into taxonomy, the more interesting it gets!! And insect taxonomy in itself is just so huge and mind-boggling :)
d00ery@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It’s a Pokémon
Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 2 months ago
Mollusc probably
sebsch@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
I can’t help with what it is, but I can say why it can’t be an insect. All insects have per definition exactly 6 legs.
atyaz@hexbear.net 2 months ago
But don’t insect larvae sometimes look kind of like that
courier8377@hexbear.net 2 months ago
They constitute their own phylum, Onychophora!
sleen@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
cutest insect
I’ll bet that when someone touches it they’ll die an horrible death.
huginn@feddit.it 2 months ago
It does shoot cum ropes out of its face to catch prey
thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
its existence is so good, the moment something touches it
can@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
CptEnder@lemmy.world 2 months ago
cybervseas@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Are we going to talk about it’s goop?
MrFappy@lemmy.world 2 months ago
No Gwyneth, we are leaving that off the table of discussion for now.
fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 2 months ago
Bortles? Is that you?
kspatlas@lemm.ee 2 months ago
What about the rosy maple moth?
grubberfly@mander.xyz 2 months ago
it’s funny how the bottom image is still true on its own
Image