Invertebrates

A nymph is a larval stage many kinds of insects go through. Nymphs tend to be quite similar to the adult insect, unlike insects like butterflies that have very different larval stage. Nymphs gradually grow to full size, shedding their skin each time they outgrow it, and the final time they shed their skin they make the transformation to their adult form.

Oysters are a kind of mollusc that lives in the sea or salty water. Their shell is in two halves like a clam shell, and the oyster can pull it closed. Oysters eat by filtering food from the water that flows over its shell. They live their adult lives stuck to rocks - a young oyster that has just stuck to a rock is called a spat.
Oysters have been eaten for thousands of years. They can be eaten raw, cooked, smoked or as part of another dish like soup.

Plankton are tiny organisms, either plants, animals or bacteria that drift around in the sea.
Plankton are a very important food source for larger sea creatures that eat them.

A prawn is name given to a shrimp in some countries.

A scarab is a type of beetle with a hard, shiny shell and strong legs built for digging. Many scarabs live in warmer, drier climates. Some species bury dung or roll it into balls, while others feed on leaves, roots, or decaying plants. Scarabs are known for their tough bodies and their useful habit of moving things around in the ground.

A sea cucumber is a soft, cucumber-shaped sea animal with many small rows of bumps. It lives on the ocean floor, and moves around gathering food with its tentacles.

A sponge is an animal that lives in the sea whose body is made up of lots of holes. Most sea sponges have hard skeletons, and the holes are for filtering food out of the water and so they can breathe.
Some species of sponge have soft skeletons and people used to catch them to use them for cleaning and packaging, but there are now almost none left. Today, sponges found around the house are made by people, and are not animals caught in the sea.

A shrimp, also called a prawn in many countries, is a sea creature that usually grows to a few inches long. They are a very popular food, and can be eaten boiled, fried, barbequed and many other ways, plain or with a sauce. They are quite often cooked whole and you have to remove the head, legs and other inedible parts yourself.

Silverfish, also called fishmoths, are small insects with no wings. They grow to be about an inch long. Silverfish like to live in dark, sometimes damp places, like kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, and wardrobes. They will eat glue, books and book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff.

Snails can be found on land and in the water, both freshwater and the sea. A snail without a shell is called a slug. Snails range in size from smaller than your little fingernail to a sea snail that can grow to 30 inches long. The biggest land snail is only grows to 12 inches long. They come in a wide variety of colours and patterns.
Snails have a pair of eyes on stalks and a pair of feelers below them, to stop it bumping into things. It can suck both its feelers and eyes into its body for safety, and it can hide in its shell if it is disturbed. Snails have one foot that they "walk" with. They eat by scraping the top layer of their food with their tongue, which is covered in tiny sharp teeth. If you listen hard to a snail when it is eating, you can hear it scraping.