Animals Without Bones: A List of 11 Boneless Animals

Animals without bones make up more than 95% of the living things on the planet.

The vast majority of these are insects, but invertebrates can be found everywhere; in the air, on the ground, and in the water.

Boneless animals come in a very wide range of shapes, colors and sizes, from microscopic organisms to giant squids.

Their variations also make for interesting feeding, mating and general survival mechanisms.

The list lists 11 animals without bones:

List of Boneless Animals Spiders Spiders Ants Rats Worms Snails Jellyfish Octopuses Crabs Scorpions Lobsters Summary of Boneless Animals

List of Animals Without Bones

Scientific Name – Bombus

Habitat – High Altitude Temperate Regions

The first species in our list of animals without bones are bumblebees.

Physically, the bumblebee is the largest of the bee family.

There are more than 250 species, and the majority of them are found in temperate and high altitude areas, mostly in countries in the northern hemisphere.

Bees live in colonies that are smaller than honey bees.

Some species build seasonal nests as they cannot survive the winter, while others, such as the cuckoo bumblebee, do not build their own nest.

The female invades an existing nest, kills the queen, and takes over, keeping the worker bees in her service.

Scientific Name – Araneae

Habitat – Art

Another animal without bones is the spider.

Spiders exist in about 45,000 species around the world on every continent.

Most spiders produce more than one type of web that varies in both strength and stretch, used for different purposes.

Some spiders are poisonous, while others are not.

Venomous spiders primarily use their venom to paralyze the prey as well as in self-defense, but in some species, like the Funnel-web Spiders they are so poisonous that one bite can kill a human in 15 minutes!

Also Read: Animals With Fur

Scientific Name – Formicidae

Habitat – Ground, Underground, Trees, Plants

Ants are perhaps the most proliferated invertebrates on the planet.

More than 22,000 species live everywhere except Antarctica and some very remote parts of the world.

These boneless creatures build their nests either underground, on the ground, or on trees.

Similar to bees, an ant colony is led by a female whose primary role is to lay eggs.

Workers in ant colonies are usually female, unlike bee colonies which include male workers.

Most ants are omnivorous, feeding on nectar, fungus, seeds, and other insects.

Some species such as army ants eat rodents and small reptiles.

Scientific Name – Rhopalocera

Butterflies are a unique species because of their 4-stage life cycle.

There are about 180,000 known species of butterflies found in every corner of the world, except in Antarctica.

Most butterflies are adapted to a small selection of food plants of which they feed on a specific part only.

However, there are species with a much wider range that can clear large sections of forest, grassland, and damage the agricultural and forestry interests of humans.

Scientific Name – Annelida

Habitat – Ground and Underground

These boneless animals are found in marine and freshwater environments, in soil, and in other organisms such as animals, often as parasites.

Worms generally have no legs and no eyes.

These creatures are hermaphrodites but still need a mate to reproduce the young.

Related: Herd animals

Scientific Name – Gastropoda

Diet – Herbivores, Omnivores, Carnivores

Habitat – Land, Water, Trees

Snails fall into two main groups, those that live on land and those that live in water.

Although the majority of snail populations are found in water, snails can generally be found in a variety of environments, including deserts.

Most snails are herbivores, but sea snails are mostly omnivores, with a few species being predatory carnivores.

Scientific Name – Aurelia aurita

Jellyfish are said to have existed for nearly 500 million years, perhaps more, making them the oldest living organism.

These bloodless carnivorous animals mature very quickly, reaching their reproductive stage within months, however, they die shortly after spawning.

They are distinctly identified by the mushroom-shaped bell or umbrella they carry when moving, although some species are anchored to the sea by their stems.

Jellyfish have armor that often has stinging cells that are used to immobilize and capture prey but also to defend themselves from predators.

These stinging cells can harm humans, and in some species, can cause death.

Scientific Name – Octopoda

Octopuses so named for their eight-legged physical structure are surprisingly boneless animals.

There are over 300 known species and they are in the same family as squid and cuttlefish.

These eight-legged invertebrates are found in various marine terrains, from coral reefs and pelagic waters to intertidal zones and abyssal depths.

These ocean carnivores eat crabs, clams, fish, starfish, and even other octopuses.

They are also poisonous, but only the blue-ringed octopus has been known to harm humans.

Scientific Name – Brachyura

There are more than 6,000 species that live in every ocean in the world.

A few species are terrestrial, usually found in tropical regions.

These boneless animals are equipped with one pair of claws, a short tail, and a thick exoskeleton.

The smallest species (pea crab) is only a fraction of an inch, while the largest (Japanese spider crab) can reach a leg span of 12 feet (3.7m).

Being omnivores in the ocean, the diet of crabs consists of algae, fungi, bacteria, worms, clams, shrimps, etc.

Scientific Name – Scorpiones

Diet – Carnivores

Habitat – Ground, Mountains, Caves

Scorpions are eight-legged creatures that have roamed the earth for 435 million years.

They are easily recognized by their tails that inject the poison turned on the back of an animal.

Scorpions’ favorite food includes insects and vertebrates, while a few species also eat vertebrates.

Scorpions use their venomous sting to both attack and defend.

While hunting, scorpions use their pair of claws to grab and sting to kill prey.

While many people fear scorpions, less than one percent of the species actually have venom strong enough to kill a person.

Scientific Name – Nephropidae

Diet – Omnivorous

Habitat – Water

The last members in our list of animals without bones are lobsters.

These creatures are found on the ocean floor as they prefer cold and salty habitats.

Lobsters have five pairs of legs, with the first pair being the largest.

They are omnivores, and feed on sea creatures, such as fish, clams, shrimps, mussels, worms, and plants.

What is interesting about these sea creatures is that they can live up to 100 years, even though it is quite difficult to determine the age of the animals.

They are also one of the few animals in the world that keep growing forever!

Briefly about Boneless Animals

Boneless animals are found everywhere on the planet.

It is an interesting fact that they comprise the majority of all living things.

They are also very adaptable to different environments and their diet is adapted to this.

Invertebrates play a crucial role in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

As with most species, however, an overabundance of a population in a limited area can be extremely detrimental.

In addition, many of these animals face the loss of habitats and food sources, while others face extinction as a result of unmanaged human activity.