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03.02.2022 These two look close, but it's not ending well for the spider. This is a spider wasp (Fabriogenia species) that has paralysed a Jungle Huntsman (Heteropoda jugulans). The spider isn't dead, but the venom from the wasp's sting has rendered it incapable of movement. To add insult to injury, the wasp has pulled off all the spider's legs to make it easier to carry. She will take the spider back to her nest where she will lay an egg on the hapless huntsman. When the wasp larva ha...tches it will have a fresh spider to feed on. After feeding it will pupate and later emerge as an adult wasp. The cycle then starts all over again. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au to learn more about us, our services and invertebrates www.shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au for live invertebrates, educational kits and husbandry resources www.identify-spiders.com to download the app and identify your next arachnid encounter

25.01.2022 Our spiders are back into their enclosures at the Kuranda Information Centre for their reopening. Mrs Giant Water Spider dived straight down a sat on the filter unit. Her body is covered in a film of air which allows her to breathe under water.

22.01.2022 The Year 2's at Trinity Anglican School, White Rock were excited to see our minibeasts today! Book your school incursion with us today - we also offer online incursions if we can't get out to your school.

22.01.2022 Apparently our signs help with social distancing. We don't understand why they work but they seem to.

21.01.2022 One of Australia's most stunning cockroaches - and this one loves sunlight. Mitchell's diurnal cockroach (Polyzosteria mitchelli) is a species found in semi-arid sand country in inland Australia. Its diet includes pollen and can often be seen sitting on flowers warming itself in the early morning sunshine. In this way it performs a role similar to bees pollinating native wildflowers and various other native plants.

21.01.2022 Paralysed and waiting: We accidentally broke open a mud-dauber wasp nest while moving some equipment. The mud cells were packed with paralysed jumping spiders of multiple species. The adult female wasp captures and paralyses the spiders and then packs them into the mud cells. She then lays an egg before closing the cell over with mud. The spiders are paralysed, but not killed so that they do not rot and the wasp larva can consume them over time. I rearranged the contents of one cell for this photograph. A wasp larva is in the centre in the process of consuming a spider.

20.01.2022 One of Australia's amazing little mantids. This is the Net-winged Mantis (Neomantis australis). It is only a couple of centimetres long and feeds on small insects. It lives in the Wet-tropics of northern Australia.

20.01.2022 Check out this sensational spider! This is a Golden Huntsman (Beregama aurea) - one of the females in our breeding program here at Minibeast Wildlife. Golden Huntsmen are one of Australia's largest hunstman species and are fascinating animals. They are currently available via our website.

19.01.2022 How cute are these little bundles of green! We are having a baby boom at Minibeast Wildlife at the moment. These are newly hatched Northern Badge Huntsmen (Neosparassus salacius). They cluster around their egg sac for around a week with mum nearby, then begin to wander off to start life on their own. That's when the work ramps for us - lots of fruit files required to feed lots of little mouths!

19.01.2022 The Mr Charisma of the jumping spider world. A male Green Jumping Spider (Mopsus mormon) from north east Australia. Having a good hair day.

19.01.2022 This is one of our adult female Spiny leaf insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) feeding on a eucalyptus leaf. Her mouth parts allow her to feed from the edge of the leaf, cutting the leaf as she moves along. If you listen closely you can hear her chewing! #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #insects #bugs #stickinsects See more

19.01.2022 It is always important to check the branches you use in your phasmid enclosures to make sure there are no predators present. Unfortunately we missed this Spectacular Crab Spider (Thomisus spectabilis) in one of our Spiny Leaf Insect enclosures, and by the size of her I’m guessing this is not the first insect she’s feasted on #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #spiders #arachnids #predators #bugeatbugworld See more

17.01.2022 The amazing Australian Leaf Insect (Phyllium monteithi). Their flattened bodies resemble the leaves they live on so effectively that even when they are right in front of you they can be incredibly difficult to see. Our breeding program with these stunning insects is going really well - won't be long until we make them available.

17.01.2022 Watching a tarantula grow right in front of your eyes is fascinating! This is one of Minibeast Wildlife's captive-bred baby tarantulas - a stage known as a spiderling or 'sling'. To grow the spider needs to shed off it's old outer skeleton. As it emerges the new skeleton is soft and rubbery and expands immediately, before setting hard again at its new size. All spiders do this to grow. The process is called ecdysis (or moulting) and can take from 10 minutes to about an hour ...depending on the age and size of the spider. @minibeastwildlife aims to educate & inspire about Australia’s amazing invertebrate life. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au identify-spiders.com and the Spidentify app exciting school incursions with live minibeasts media production : macro photography, video and animal wangling for films and TV #tarantula #australianwildlife #macroworld #australiaspider #australianinsects #aracnophobia #animaldocumentary

17.01.2022 A few images from a recent job we did for the Wet Tropics Management Authority photographing an infestation of introduced Yellow Crazy Ants. It was fascinating and very scary to see the extent and dominance of this introduced species. They had overrun 80 hectares of rainforest and were literally everywhere taking down everything in their path. Vertebrates such as frogs and snakes were killed or blinded and other previously dominating ants such as Green Tree Ants were wiped out. They are aptly named as they move rapidly in a crazy motion when disturbed and were literally all over me while shooting - constantly running across the lens too which made things extra tough!!

17.01.2022 A Trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus sp.) with jaws in the ready position. Trap-jaw ants of this genus have the fastest moving predatory appendages within the animal kingdom. They lock their jaws open at 180 and then slam them closed on prey or to defend themselves. The jaws close with such force that it can catapult the ants into the air.

16.01.2022 Coming of age - spider style! This male Leaf-runner Spider (Hygropoda lineata) has just matured. He has just 'pumped' his way out of his old exoskeleton and is hanging below it while his new exoskeleton hardens. After an hour of dangling like this he'll head back to his leaf residence for a quick break, before the last stage of his life begins. That's the stage he's been waiting for, the culmination of his whole life - the search for female spiders!

16.01.2022 Just photographed a bunch of new spiders for the Spidentify app on the tablelands and surrounds in far north QLD. They'll be on white for the app, but couldn't resist doing a few on black. Here's a male Barychelid and stunning Aname sp. Lots of identification and writing work ahead before they all hit the app.

15.01.2022 Get to know the newest additions to our Minibeast Wildlife tarantula family

15.01.2022 This little bundle of eyeballs is the world's most intelligent spider. Meet Portia fimbriata - Portia for short (also known as the Fringed Jumping Spider). Portia has the ability to problem solve and alter her approach to catching prey when presented with different and complex situations. The prey Portia seeks is other spiders, so she has to be on her game when hunting otherwise she may end up as dinner herself. When hunting orb-weavers, Portia has many strategies. She will t...ry to find a good launch point to jump at the other spider from while it is sitting in the middle of its web. Sometimes tickling and plucking the web helps to bring the orb-weaver within striking range. Sometimes it may require a Mission Impossible-style abseil decent from above. On occasions she will even dismantle the other spider's web with her fangs. Portia is an amazing spider with some amazing behaviours - check out this one in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2WHZGpdghc See more

15.01.2022 This is the head of a March Fly. Yes! Most people in Australia will know what it is like to be bitten by one of these. Even though they are quite slow flyers, they have an uncanny knack of being able to avoid swatting hands. Their eyes are made up of thousands of individual lenses providing an almost 360 degree and make them hard to sneak up on. While their vision isn't as good as ours, they detect movement very well and respond instantly to any perceived threat.... @minibeastwildlife aims to educate & inspire about Australia’s amazing invertebrate life. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au identify-spiders.com and the Spidentify app exciting school incursions with live minibeasts media production : macro photography, video and animal wangling for films and TV #invertebrates #insectphotography #insectlover #wildlifeaustralia #enthomology #marchfly #insectguru #invertebrate #insectsofinstagram #macrophotography

13.01.2022 The junior school at Ballarat Christian College loved learning all about our minibeasts during their incursion this week! We are able to physically visit schools in Far North Queensland at the moment, but for other areas all around Australia (and the world!) we are running online incursions. Contact us for more details!

13.01.2022 These baby butterflies (otherwise known as caterpillars) will grow up to be Orchard Swallowtails (Papilio aegeus). The caterpillars feed on the leaves of citrus trees, and the adult butterflies feed on nectar from flowers. This difference in food source between the caterpillars and the adult butterflies is one reason why they are so successful. #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation... #bugsofinstagram #insects #butterflies #caterpillars #babybutterflies See more

13.01.2022 Growing up - spider style! Spiders like other arthropods have hard outer skeletons (exoskeletons) which cover their bodies and support them. In order to grow they must shed off their old exoskeleton and replace it with a new pre-formed one underneath. They expand and grow as they emerge (as soft rubbery creatures), before setting hard once again. Depending on the species, this usually happens in less than an hour! It's a very vulnerable time for them and it often takes place ...at night or hidden away in their retreats or burrows. Some spiders can take several days to harden fully and often will not eat for some time before and after the event. If you've seen what look like dead spiders at your home, they may well be just empty exoskeletons that have been recently cast off. Rest assured that the owners are most likely alive and well - and bigger! ;) See more

13.01.2022 We have our first mature female and male Australian Leaf insects (Phyllium monteithi) of the season. These insects have remarkable camouflage. They feed on a range of rainforest plants, but if you keep them at home they can be fed on Syzygium australe, or Brush Cherry, which is readily available all around Australia. #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #phasmids #leafinsects #phyllium See more

13.01.2022 Some of our young Giant Banded Huntsmen have changed wardrobe overnight. These are their old exoskeletons - they shed them off in order to grow. All these little ones are now much bigger!

12.01.2022 The amazing Australian Leaf Insect (Phyllium monteithi). One of Australia's most superbly camouflaged insects. We have been keeping and breeding these incredible insects at Minibeast Wildlife for many years now and we still sometimes have difficulties spotting them in their enclosures. We've also found that they their colours seem to be influenced by their environment and the types of plants they feed on. Check out these colours!

12.01.2022 Don't like moths? Not a fan of how they flutter around in the dark? Can we interest you in a Four O'clock moth to change your mind? The life of this stunning insect might surprise you!

11.01.2022 A gum tree inhabitant, the Striped Arboreal Cockroach (Melanozosteria triangulata). Australia has a huge number of native cockroaches - over 500 species that live hidden lives in the wild and have no interest in coming into our homes. Native cockroaches perform important roles in their ecosystems. Many are pollinators that are important to native plants. A small number of pest cockroaches have unfortunately given all the others a bad reputation, and comprise of only a handfu...l of species. They have spread around the world with humans, and tend to only live with us. They are only as 'filthy' as we are, and live on our wastes. Minibeast Wildlife aims to educate & inspire about Australia’s amazing invertebrate life. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au identify-spiders.com and the Spidentify app exciting school incursions with live minibeasts media production : macro photography, video and animal wangling for films and TV

11.01.2022 Australian Leaf Insect (Phyllium monteithi) nymphs dancing in the wind. These insects have excellent camouflage in the wild, so much so that sometimes we have a hard time finding them when changing their food plant! #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #insects #leafinsects See more

10.01.2022 Buzzing won't help! This fly is glued down and about to pounced upon by a spider with abilities even Spiderman doesn't have. This Spitting Spider (Dictis striatipes) 'spits' super sticky silk laced with venom from it fangs. The stream of silk is sprayed so rapidly that it's practically invisible to the naked eye. The victim doesn't know what hit it!

09.01.2022 It looks buffed and polished and ready to rumble! The Rainforest Centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes) is a fearsome hunter of Australia’s tropical rainforests. We’ve just successfully raised some babies of this awesome species. #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #centipedes #buffedandpolished #myriapods See more

07.01.2022 Baby season is certainly here at Minibeast Wildlife! Plenty of little hungry mouths to feed including these young Giant Rainforest Mantids (Hierodula majuscula).

06.01.2022 The Spectacular Crab Spider Thomisus spectabilis hunting at night. Kuranda, QLD. These spiders are ambush hunters, that wait upon foliage and flowers for prey to approach, then snatch it with their powerful from legs. Their venom is harmless to humans, but acts quickly on insects. This enables them to rapidly immobilise insects larger than themselves such as bees, butterflies and grasshoppers.

05.01.2022 With Covid-19 issues still affecting schools and education facilities we are now offering online Minibeast Wildlife incursions world-wide as well as our local on-site visits. For more details visit minibeastwildlife.com.au/

04.01.2022 These delicate little first instar tarantulas (Phlogius sp. Kuranda) have just moulted from the "eggs with legs" stage, and we are moving them to the containers where they will live for the next stage of their life. #minibeastwildlife #invertebrateeducation #bugsofinstagram... #spiders #tarantulas #arachnids #eggswithlegs See more

04.01.2022 Don't moss with me, I have attitude! This crazy looking insect is a Moss Mantid (Pseudocanthops sp.). We found it in the jungle during our time in Costa Rica a while back. It has incredible camouflage. All its features have evolved to match the shapes and colours of the mosses and lichens that adorn the jungle trees.

03.01.2022 If there was a bug horror story along the lines of Stephen King's IT this katydid would have to be a great candidate for the role. With its googly-eyes and vivid pink jaws the aptly name Pink-jawed Katydid (Emeraldagraecia munggarifrons) is a savage predator. It sits motionless on leaves, often hiding in dark shady spots and waits for other insects to pass by. The unlucky grasshopper in this photo strayed too close and got to meet the colourful character first hand. Kuranda,... FNQ. @minibeastwildlife aims to educate & inspire about Australia’s amazing invertebrate life. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au identify-spiders.com and the Spidentify app exciting school incursions with live minibeasts media production : macro photography, video and animal wangling for films and TV #queensland #macroworld #awesome_earthpix #bug #wildlifeonearth #insectphotography

03.01.2022 Something to consider heading into spidey season... Perspective Two of the worlds most feared spiders; a Sydney Funnelweb (Atrax robustus) left, and a Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria reidyi) right.... Dangerous right? Perhaps. Nobody has died from Sydney Funnel-web bite since 1980, and deaths from Wandering Spiders are quite rare. Then again, think about this. Is a family car dangerous? No one runs screaming from the sight of them, yet in Australia over 1500 people die annually from motor vehicle accidents. Over 30,000 die each year in the US, and over a million people die globally. So where is the real danger? It’s not lurking in the shadows waiting to bite you, it’s sitting in plain sight in the driveway. While acknowledging that some people suffer from real debilitating phobias of such animals, it's very important to consider that the vast majority of Australian spiders present us with relatively no danger at all. Best to stop and think before reaching for the spray or firebombing your home!

03.01.2022 Have you ever seen a scorpion being milked? No - not that kind of milk. Dr David Wilson and Edward Evans from James Cook University paid our scorpions a visit last week to extract their venom for research. Watch the fascinating process unfold!

02.01.2022 The massive fangs of a Sydney Funnel-web (Atrax robustus). As this spider belongs to the group (infraorder) Mygalomorphae the fangs point downward when in use. These spiders are considered relatively primitive in that their structures appeared relatively early in spider evolution. This group of includes tarantulas, trapdoor spider, mouse spiders, funnel-webs and others. The fangs function a little like pick-axes compared with the pincer action of the fangs of those in the inf...raorder Araneomorphae. (Araneomorphs are more recently evolved and include spiders such as huntsmen, orb-weavers, house spiders and many others). @minibeastwildlife aims to educate & inspire about Australia’s amazing invertebrate life. www.minibeastwildlife.com.au shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au identify-spiders.com and the Spidentify app exciting school incursions with live minibeasts media production : macro photography, video and animal wangling for films and TV #macroworld #awesome_earthpix #bug #wildlifeonearth #insectphotography

02.01.2022 "Autobots, transform and roll out!" This Longicorn Beetle is one of the insect world's true transformers. Beetles can be lumbering armoured 'vehicles' one moment and within seconds, lift up the armour, unveil the wings and go airborne. It's one of the reasons that beetles are one of the most successful animal groups on this planet.

02.01.2022 The proboscis of the male Cruiser butterfly, Vindula arsinoe. These butterflies are commonly found in the tropical rainforests of Queensland. The chewing mouthparts of the caterpillar are replaced with the proboscis in the adult butterfly, which is used for feeding. The proboscis consists of two parts that fuse together after emergence from the chrysalis, forming a central tube. The end of the proboscis is covered in spiky sensillum, sensory structures that may be both chemical and mechanical receptors. The butterfly will use its proboscis to probe into a flower, searching for nectar. The butterfly sucks up nectar using a sucking pump located inside their head. This sucking pump allows the butterfly to drink up to half of its body weight in a single feeding event.

01.01.2022 This is one of our male tarantulas (Coremiocnemis tropix). He was a little upset at being taken out of the female's enclosure after mating. It's quite rare to see venom being expelled, so he clearly wasn't very happy. Little did he know he was being taken out for his own safety. While it was fun in there for a short while, overstaying his welcome can end in him becoming a dietary supplement for the larger female.

01.01.2022 In this episode of the Australian Tarantula Keepers Series, find out how, when and what to feed your tarantula - and learn all about the fascinating way tarantulas eat their food. We'll post the the tarantula feeding guide below

23.12.2021 Check out this - unique behaviour for Australian tarantulas at Minibeast Wildlife. This is the Semi-social Pygmy Rainforest Tarantula (Coremiocnemis sp.). Here's one of our colonies with mum and two generations of offspring living with her. They hunt together and share food. The large siblings (now well over a year old) even allow this year's youngsters into their burrows and to share their food.

21.12.2021 Merry Christmas from all of us here at Minibeast Wildlife! Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the past year. We wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday season. And, if you're looking, we hope you find that special someone under the mistletoe. All the best!

18.12.2021 Minibeast Wildlife has just released an Australian Huntsman Spiders poster. It is unique and features 13 species of huntsman including some rare gems and Australia's largest species, all in relative scale to each other. Each spider has been carefully photographed live just for the poster and are shown in stunning detail. https://shop.minibeastwildlife.com.au/australian-huntsman-/