Velvet worms (Phylum Onychophora) are fascinating invertebrates. Don’t let their cute , cuddly exterior fool you: these little worms are actually predators that hunt by shooting ‘glue’ at their prey! In the lab, we primarily study the ecology and behaviour of Euperapatoides rowelli, a species known to display gregarious behaviour. Our work initially focused on characterising social behaviours (see here for our paper), but since the 2020 megafires, we have shifted to velvet worm conservation. In particular, we want to understand how fire impacts velvet worm populations (as well as other log-dwelling invertebrates)

Field site, 18 months post fire.

Adorable lab-born velvet worms (E. rowelli)