Invertebrates

An animal without a backbone, the invertebrates comprise over 99% of the 15 million or more animal species on the planet.

Some scientists believe there may well be over 100 million species of invertebrate and that we have so far only seen the tip of the iceberg. It is thought that invertebrates in some form or another have inhabited the planet for over 1 billion years. Invertebrates include insects, spiders, sponges, snails, octopuses, clams, squid, jellyfish, anemones, corals, starfish, sea urchins, worms - the list could go on to fill this page!

Most invertebrates are relatively short-lived animals. Individuals of some species die of old age after less than 24 hours. Other species such as some clams are believed to live for over 200 years.

At Chester our invertebrates are housed in various places around the zoo; in the Aquarium you will find the corals, shrimps, urchins and starfish; in the Tropical Realm we keep our beetles and spiders;  in Realm of the Red Ape we keep our stick insects and praying mantis; and the Spirit of the Jaguar is home to our fascinating leaf-cutter ant colony.

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  Butterflies and moths

  Butterflies and moths make up the order Lepidoptera which is perhaps the most popular of the insect groups.

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  Leaf and stick insects

  Stick and leaf insects are 'hard to see' as they mimic their surroundings, in both colour and motion.

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  Leafcutter Ants

  Watch the colony of ants cutting leaves and flowers before transporting them back to the nest.

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  Other Invertebrates

  Our range of invertebrates includes spiders and urchins and they help demonstrate the rich diversity of this group of animals.

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