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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Barkham, Petra Stock and Oliver Milman

Revealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the year

bootlace worm, bumblebee, damselfly, stick insect, woodlouse, cicada, jellyfish and sea slug on a sky blue background

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1

The common woodlouse

(Oniscus asellus) If there were a prize for the range and joyfulness of a creature’s English-language names, the humble woodlouse would undoubtedly triumph over its million-plus invertebrate rivals …

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2

The immortal jellyfish

(Turritopsis dohrnii) Immortality is generally considered the realm of the gods or science fiction …

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3

The leaf sheep

(Costasiella kuroshimae) Beauty, brains and a wonderfully innovative lifestyle …

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4

The greengrocer cicada

(Cyclochila australasiae) Before marbles, stamps and trading cards, there were cicadas …

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5

The Lord Howe Island stick insect

(Dryococelus Australis) A giant of a creature that has survived everything humans have thrown at it …

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6

The wandering glider

(Pantala flavescens) A globe trotting superstar whose life spans continents …

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7

The moscardón bumblebee

(Bombus dahlbomii) A gloriously furry big bumblebee, the giant panda of the insect world …

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8

Bootlace worm

(Lineus longissimus) A worm that can unfold and unfold and unfold might be the stuff of nightmares for some but the invertebrate of their dreams for another …

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9

Come back on Tuesday!

To find out which invertebrate is next on our reader-voted list, come back at noon BST tomorrow

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