A BUTTON BODY COMES WOBBLING ON impossibly thin legs through the dank autumn vegetation. It is a shame that so few folk bend down to take a closer A look, for though it has eight legs and so might appear to be a spider, it is not. It is an Opilione, or harvestman.
Of the 27 species of Opilione found in the UK, one of the largest and most widespread is Leiobunum rotundum. Like many other invertebrate species, it hatched from eggs in the spring and has been growing up ever since. Now, it is large, fully mature and more visible. Its fondness for dense vegetation probably meant we traditionally encountered it as we brought in the last of the season's crops and hay - a fact that goes some way to explain its common name.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von BBC Wildlife.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von BBC Wildlife.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
