Invertebrates are everywhere
The Australian King Cricket lives in leaf litter. Photo: M Bulbert © Australian Museum
Even in a gorge will you find invertebrates. Photo: M Bulbert © Australian Museum.
Invertebrates live just about anywhere. They have been recorded in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, in the driest of deserts and in the canopies of the wettest rainforests. They can even be found in the frozen Antarctic (some mites and springtails can withstand temperatures of -35°C) or on the ocean floor of the Abyssal Sea which reaches depths of up to 11 000 metres.
Invertebrates are all around us and yet amazingly most go about their daily business unnoticed. Much of this has to do with the size of invertebrates. On land, invertebrates range from fractions of a millimetre to approximately 150 centimetres in length, though most are less than five centimetres. Their size allows them to occupy large habitats such as deserts and rainforests as well as many microhabitats, which may not be visible to the eye. For example, they maybe found in a pool of water in a pitcher plant, the follicles of a hair, or inside a seed.
