Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone, which covers roughly 95 percent of all animal species: insects, arachnids, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, jellyfish and echinoderms. Their life cycles vary enormously, so lifespans range from a few weeks for a housefly to centuries for a deep-water clam. Many have never been assessed for the IUCN Red List, which is why conservation status is often listed as Not Evaluated.
26 invertebrates, grouped by taxonomic order. Tap an animal for full facts.
Anthoathecata
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immortal Jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii |
about 1–3 months per medusa stage; no known upper limit with rejuvenation | — | — | NE |
Araneae
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goliath Birdeater Theraphosa blondi |
15–25 years (females); males 3–6 years | up to about 175 g (6.2 oz) | — | NE |
| Southern Black Widow Latrodectus mactans |
1–3 years (females); males a few months | about 1 g (0.035 oz) | — | NE |
Cardiida
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Clam Tridacna gigas |
up to 100 years or more | 100–250 kg (220–550 lb) | — | CR |
Coleoptera
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seven-Spot Ladybug Coccinella septempunctata |
about 1 year, occasionally up to 2 | roughly 30–45 mg (about 0.001 oz) | about 30 km/h (19 mph) | NE |
Crassiclitellata
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris |
4–8 years | 3–10 g (0.1–0.35 oz) | — | NE |
Decapoda
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Lobster Homarus americanus |
an estimated 30–50 years or more | 0.5–4 kg (1–9 lb) | — | LC |
| Japanese Spider Crab Macrocheira kaempferi |
possibly 50–100 years (unverified) | 16–19 kg (35–42 lb) | — | NE |
Diptera
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housefly Musca domestica |
15–30 days as an adult | about 10–20 mg (0.0004–0.0007 oz) | about 7–8 km/h (4.5–5 mph) | NE |
| Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti |
2–4 weeks as an adult | about 1–2.5 mg (under 0.0001 oz) | about 1.5–2.5 km/h (1–1.5 mph) | NE |
Forcipulatida
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Starfish Asterias rubens |
5–10 years | roughly 50–400 g (2–14 oz) | — | NE |
Hymenoptera
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Giant Hornet Vespa mandarinia |
weeks to a few months (workers); queens about 1 year | roughly 2–4 g (0.07–0.14 oz) | up to about 40 km/h (25 mph) | NE |
| Black Garden Ant Lasius niger |
1–2 years (workers); queens 15+ years | about 1–2 mg (0.00004–0.00007 oz) | — | NE |
| Buff-Tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris |
2–6 weeks (workers); queens about 1 year | 0.1–0.9 g (0.004–0.03 oz) | 11–16 km/h (7–10 mph) | NE |
| Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris |
2–4 weeks (workers); queens about 1 year | roughly 70–250 mg (0.002–0.009 oz) | — | NE |
| Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera |
5–7 weeks (summer workers); queens 2–5 years | about 100 mg (0.004 oz) | 24–32 km/h (15–20 mph) | DD |
Lepidoptera
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luna Moth Actias luna |
7–10 days as an adult | roughly 1–2 g (0.04–0.07 oz) | — | NE |
| Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus |
2–6 weeks (summer adults) to 6–9 months (migratory generation) | 0.25–0.75 g (0.009–0.026 oz) | — | LC |
Mantodea
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Mantis Mantis religiosa |
6–8 months after hatching (about 1 year including the egg) | roughly 1–4 g (0.04–0.14 oz) | — | LC |
Octopoda
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Octopus Octopus vulgaris |
1–2 years | 3–10 kg (6.6–22 lb) | — | LC |
Odonata
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator |
1–2 years in total; adults 4–8 weeks | about 1 g (0.035 oz) | about 36 km/h (22 mph) | LC |
Oegopsida
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Squid Architeuthis dux |
an estimated 2–5 years | 150–275 kg (330–610 lb) | — | LC |
Scorpiones
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Scorpion Pandinus imperator |
5–8 years | about 30 g (1.1 oz) | — | NE |
Semaeostomeae
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita |
6–12 months as an adult medusa | — | — | NE |
Stylommatophora
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Snail Cornu aspersum |
2–5 years | 7–15 g (0.25–0.5 oz) | about 0.047 km/h (0.03 mph) | NE |
Venerida
| Animal | Lifespan | Weight | Top speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Quahog Arctica islandica |
commonly 100–200 years (record 507) | roughly 100–300 g (3.5–10.5 oz) | — | NE |
Rankings
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