Australian Hornet

Image: James Niland
Abispa ephippium

I get that wasps use bright colours to warn predators of their painful sting. It's a great way to ward off attacks without having to physically do anything, and everyone loves not having to physically do anything...

But surely this is just showing off?

Shovel-nosed Salamander

Image: Todd Pierson
Desmognathus marmoratus

Hmmm...

I think I would call it the People-eyed Salamander.

Striped Bubble Shell

Image: Sylke Rohrlach
Hydatina physis

What is a shell? Armour? Home? Laborious burden? How about fashion accessory?

Edible Sea Urchin

Image: gordon.milligan
Echinus esculentus

It's the hedgehog of the sea!

Megaloremmius leo

Image: Brian Gratwicke
Megaloremmius leo

It's the world's smallest orangutan! But not, as it turns out, the world's smallest spider.

This beauty is a kind of Huntsman Spider from the rain forests of eastern Madagascar. It can reach something like 5 cm (2 in) long! And that doesn't include the legs. M. leo, like the orangutan, has a real talent for ludicrously long limbs.

Not much is known about M. leo. It's as mysterious as it is orange.

Crabs get the prettiest homes

Image: Nick Hobgood

We landlubbers really get the raw end of the deal when it comes to symbiosis. We got parasites, all right. You can hardly walk for the mites, lice and flatworms clinging to every nook and cranny.