Lmst

#Peripatus

Not a worm. Not an arthropod. Not an insect. Not a bug. Possibly coolest extant taxon on Earth. Certainly my favourite group of animals by a wide margin #Onychophora #Peripatus #peripates #Peripatoides

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:lia4ywzl2c2kt4dn3kzbywog/post/3linjn4zh7g2h

*VELVET WORM CHECKPOINT*

You have reached a scrolling checkpoint. I give you permission to stop what you are doing, breathe, and simply enjoy how wonderful velvet worms are.

Forget about life's problems for a moment, and just look at those tiny little feet! There's still beauty in the world, and much of it is Peripatus-shaped.

Okay, off you go.

#SoilBiodiversity #MacroPhotography #Peripatus

A photograph of a velvet worm on some deadwood. The velvet worm is soft-bodied and made of lots of segments, with bright orange and blue dots all across its body.

A photograph of the underside of a velvet worm, showing it's soft pale purple tummy and many legs ending with soft pale purple pads.

This velvet worm (Ooperipatellus viridimaculatus) is endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand's South Island.

When hunting or disturbed, velvet worms squirt a viscous fluid from special slime glands on their head, which I witnessed when this one protested being woken up by a camera flash!

#MacroPhotography #Peripatus #Nature #Arthropod #VelvetWorm

A photograph of an orange and blue-spotted segmented worm with legs.

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