"So important are insects and other land-dwelling arthropods that if all were to disappear, humanity probably could not last more than a few months….!" - Edward O Wilson

Any tropical forest is a treasure house of invertebrates (animals without backbones), the forests of Kerala are no exception; they can be seen in all sizes, colours and shapes – ants, bees, beetles, moths, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, snails, praying mantids, giant millipedes, leaf and stick insects, just to name a few. Because of their superabundance it is simply impossible to assess their species number, but what we do know is that they are very important factors in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem. Recently a scorpion belonging to the genus Isometrus was discovered from Western Ghats which is the only canopy dwelling scorpion species known outside the Amazon!

Click here for invertebrates album