Honey Bees (Apis mellifera): The Metazoa Explorer

Photo Credit: Sarah Damen

Taxonomic Definition

Apis mellifera, commonly referred to as the Western honey bee, is a eusocial insect belonging to the family Apidae and the order Hymenoptera. Originally native to Europe, Africa, and Western Asia, the species has achieved a near-global distribution due to anthropogenic domestication for pollination services and honey production. It is the type species of the genus Apis and is distinguished by strict caste differentiation and perennial colony structures.

Octopus (Octopoda): The Metazoa Explorer

Photo Credit: Diane Picchiottino

Taxonomic Definition

The Octopoda is an order of soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusks within the class Cephalopoda. Characterized by bilateral symmetry, a ganglionic nervous system, and the complete reduction of the internal shell (gladius), members of this order occupy a ubiquitous range across the global ocean, extending from intertidal coral reefs to abyssal hydrothermal vents. They are taxonomically distinct from Decapodiformes (squids and cuttlefish) by their lack of feeding tentacles and specific arm morphology.

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer): The Metazoa Explorer

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
Image Credit: Scientific Frontline / stock image

Taxonomic Definition

The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is the sole extant species of the order Tubulidentata and family Orycteropodidae, representing a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the superorder Afrotheria. Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, its geographical range encompasses savanna, grassland, and semi-arid bushland, excluding only the true deserts (Sahara, Namib) and dense equatorial rainforests where soil composition prevents fossorial activity. It is characterized as a nocturnal, myrmecophagous (ant and termite-eating) mammal with unique dental morphology that defines its taxonomic order.

Glass sponges (Hexactinellida): The Metazoa Explorer

Euplectella aspergillum
Photo Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Taxonomic Definition

The Hexactinellida, commonly known as glass sponges, constitute a class within the phylum Porifera characterized by a skeleton composed of siliceous spicules typically exhibiting triaxon (six-rayed) symmetry. Exclusively marine and predominantly deep-sea organisms, they are found globally at depths ranging from 200 to over 6,000 meters, with significant concentrations in the Antarctic and North Pacific waters. Unlike other sponges, their soft tissue consists largely of a syncytium, a continuous multinucleated cytoplasm, rather than discrete cellular units.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus): The Metazoa Explorer

Photo Credit: David Clode

Taxonomic Definition

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia and the sole extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. Taxonomically situated within the order Diprotodontia, it is most closely related to the Vombatidae (wombats). Its range extends along the eastern and southern distincts of Australia, spanning Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, characterized by a dependence on sclerophyll forests dominated by the genus Eucalyptus.

Tigers (Panthera tigris): The Metazoa Explorer

Taxonomic Definition

Panthera tigris constitutes the largest extant species within the family Felidae and the genus Panthera. Taxonomically situated within the Order Carnivora, this obligate carnivore is historically distributed across much of Asia, ranging from the temperate forests of the Russian Far East to the tropical mangroves of the Sundarbans and the rainforests of Sumatra. It is defined by its distinct dark vertical stripes on orange-brown fur with a lighter underside, a phenotype resulting from specific expression of the Agouti and Tabby signaling pathways.

Herons (Ardeidae) : The Metazoa Explorer

Photo Credit: Gerhard Crous

Taxonomic Definition

The Ardeidae are a cosmopolitan family of wading birds within the order Pelecaniformes, comprising herons, egrets, and bitterns. This clade is characterized by long legs, elongated necks, and a distinctive spearing feeding mechanism, inhabiting a vast array of freshwater, brackish, and coastal wetland ecosystems globally, with the exception of the poles and extreme deserts. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have firmly placed Ardeidae within Pelecaniformes, distinct from the Ciconiiformes (storks) with which they were historically grouped.