Under Your Feet

13

Mesofauna

There are tens of thousands

of tiny, dot-sized soil animals

called mesofauna. These include

sprinting mites and

leaping springtails.

Minibeasts

You can spot small creatures

called minibeasts if you crouch

close to the ground. These

include marching ants, scuttling

centipedes, and gliding slugs.

Microorganisms

The smallest soil dwellers are

microorganisms. A microscope

is needed to see almost all the

bacteria and fungi that make

up this group. There are billions

of them in one spadeful of soil.

Centipedes hunt insects

and slugs by pouncing

and injecting venom

from their legs.

Most millipedes

have fewer

than 100 legs.

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