Creepy Crawlies: A Street View Tour

Step into the Creepy Crawlies gallery and explore. Use the arrows to navigate and click-and-drag to look around.

There are four main groups of arthropod: insects, spiders, centipedes and millipedes and crabs. Characterised by their hard exoskeletons and jointed legs, they thrive in nearly every environment on Earth.

Arthropods consume a vast range of foods. Many species have developed specialised mouthparts or limbs to cope with their unique diets.

Colour plays a vital role for arthropods. They use it for mating displays, camouflage, and as a warning signal.

Many arthropods are master builders and create complicated structures to live in. Termites include air conditioning in their mounds while spiders build many different types of web, from classic spirals to trapdoor tunnels.

During their lifetime, arthropods undergo some of the most dramatic physical changes in the animal world. Some, like butterflies, transform via metamorphosis.

Arthropods have developed diverse survival strategies, from specialised jaws and armour to camouflage and irritating chemicals. 

Explore the ground floor of Crawley House to discover the arthropods that share our homes. You might find carpet moths, flour beetles, or even wasps lurking about.

Arachnids aren't just spiders! This group includes scorpions and mites. They thrive in a wide variety of habitats, from hummingbird nostrils to human skin. Most are solitary and hunt alone.

From tree-climbing crabs to noisy shrimp and tiny fish lice, the crustacean family contains a diverse group of arthropods that commonly live in or near water.

Centipedes and millipedes are both myriapods.  Carnivorous centipedes use longer legs to chase prey, while vegetarian millipedes use many short legs to burrow through leaf litter.  

There are more species of insect than all other animal groups combined. Their behaviours and specialisations are incredibly diverse, from the foods they eat to how they communicate.

Visit our website to find out more about our magnificent galleries, unique collections and world-class scientific expertise.