Shy creatures, able to hide in incredibly tight crevices, these ‘velvet worms’ (about ninety living species known) are rarely seen even in their natural habitat.
The Kingdom Animalia, from sponges to elephants, velvet worms to octopuses, mud dragons to tardigrades, is the best studied and most widely appreciated of the kingdoms.
There are three taxa conventionally included: the Onychophora (velvet worms, which do not possess an exoskeleton, and were previously considered a distinct phylum), and the superclasses Myriapoda and Hexapoda.
Onychophora, also known as velvet worms or lobopods, are considered segmented and close relatives of the Arthropoda.
Definition of velvet worm in US English:
velvet worm
noun
see Onychophora
Example sentencesExamples
Onychophora, also known as velvet worms or lobopods, are considered segmented and close relatives of the Arthropoda.
Shy creatures, able to hide in incredibly tight crevices, these ‘velvet worms’ (about ninety living species known) are rarely seen even in their natural habitat.
The Kingdom Animalia, from sponges to elephants, velvet worms to octopuses, mud dragons to tardigrades, is the best studied and most widely appreciated of the kingdoms.
There are three taxa conventionally included: the Onychophora (velvet worms, which do not possess an exoskeleton, and were previously considered a distinct phylum), and the superclasses Myriapoda and Hexapoda.