What Do You Already Know about Minibeasts?

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What Is a Minibeast?

A minibeast is a small animal.

Minibeasts live all around us, including in our houses!

A minibeast does not have a skeleton.

Minibeasts are found all around the world.

Did You Know?Minibeasts live all around the world.

Dung BeetlesDiet: Animal dung!

Habitat: Grasslands and forests all over the world, except Antarctica.

Size: 0.5–3cm long.

Fascinating Fact! Yuk! Dung beetles eat animal dung, which they roll into balls. They bury the ball to eat later.

Did You Know?In relation to its size, the dung beetle is the world’s strongest animal!

Watch It!Watch this clip of dung beetles moving a ball of dung.

Leaf-Cutter AntsDiet: Fungus

Habitat: Rainforests in Central and South America.

Size: 1-2cm long.

Fascinating Fact! Leaf-cutter ants cut pieces of leaf and carry them back to their tunnels. Fungus grows on the leaves which the ants eat.

Did You Know?The ants have different jobs depending on how big they are. They work together as a team.

Watch It! Watch this clip of leaf-cutter ants at work.Photo courtesy of lana.japan (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

TarantulaDiet: Insects, beetles and grasshoppers. Some larger tarantulas will eat small animals such as lizards, snakes and frogs.

Habitat: South and Central America, Africa and North America.

Size: 11–28cm long.

Fascinating Fact! Many tarantulas live in burrows which they dig with their fangs.

Did You Know?Tarantulas molt as they grow. They can also regrow lost legs!

Watch It! Watch this clip of a tarantula molting.Photo courtesy of David Boté Estrada (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Leaf InsectDiet: Plants

Habitat: Asia and Australia.

Size: 10cm long.

Fascinating Fact! Leaf insects pretend to be leaves so that predators can’t spot them. This is called camouflage. Baby leaf insects are reddish in colour. They only go green when they have eaten green plants.

Did You Know?Leaf insects rock back and forth so that they look like a leaf blowingin the breeze!

Watch It!Watch this clip of a leaf insect rocking back and forth.

Photo courtesy of Zleng (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Blue Morpho ButterflyDiet: Plant sap and fruit juices.

Habitat: The tree tops of rainforests in Central and South America.

Size: 7–20cm long.

Fascinating Fact! The blue morpho butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in the world.

Did You Know?The underneath of a blue morpho butterfly’s wings are brown. The butterflies flash their blue wings at predators to protect themselves.

Watch It!Watch this clip of a blue morpho butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

Photo courtesy of William Warby (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

What Did You Find out about Minibeasts?

ThinkWhat can you

remember about minibeasts?

ShareShare your ideas with the class.

PairShare your ideas with a partner.

Glossarycamouflage – hiding something by making it look the same as its surroundings

diet – the things an animal eats

dung – animal poo

fungus – living things such as molds and mushrooms

habitat – where an animal lives

molt – shed skin, fur, feathers or horns

predator – an animal that kills and eats other animals