Invertebrates – animals without spines – make up the vast majority of life on Earth. The Guardian’s invertebrate of the year contest celebrates the unsung heroes of the planet. Readers have nominated thousands of amazing animals, we’ve chosen a shortlist of 10, and now you can vote for your favourite.
1. The tongue-biting louse burrows in through a fish’s gills, clings to its tongue and eats what the fish eats.
2. The dark-edged bee-fly pretends to be a bee but is actually a fly that twerks.
3. Multisegmented micro-animal Milnesium tardigradum has survived five great extinction events.
4. The flamboyant cuttlefish flashes a dazzling array of psychedelic colours to warn predators they are toxic.
5. The giant Gippsland earthworm can grow up to 3 metres in length.
6. The all-female microscopic common rotifer has thrived without men for millions of years.
7. The fen raft spider walks on water and has been revived from near-extinction in Britain.
8. The ultra-rare amber comet firefly emits a burning flash of light, following by a trailing glow.
9. The Wētāpunga is a flightless grasshopper that’s the heaviest insect in the world.
10. The monarch butterfly migrates for 3,000 miles.
What amazing animals! Now it’s up to you to vote for your favourite, and the winner of the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year 2025 will be announced next week. We hope it’s a chance for all of us to raise a cheer for the marvellous array of life on Earth.
