Invertebrate of the year 2026: vote for your favourite

. UK edition

squid, horseshoe crab, bootlace worm, bumblebee, damselfly, stick insect, woodlouse, cicada, jellyfish and sea slug
Your invertebrate nominations; squid, horseshoe crab, bootlace worm, bumblebee, damselfly, stick insect, woodlouse, cicada, jellyfish and sea slug Illustration: Petra Korlević/The Guardian

We’ve gone in search of the invertebrate of the year. Now it’s your chance to choose

It’s time to vote for the 2026 invertebrate of the year. For the third year running, we’ve been profilng some of the most spectacular, fascinating and yet overlooked inhabitants of our planet; the huge category of animals (more than 1.3million different species) that have no spine. This group includes all sorts of creatures from jellyfish to bumblebees via parasites, spiders and worms. They carry out some of the most critical functions at the very base of all of our ecosystems, but it’s the vertebrates - pandas, lions, whales - that scoop up everyone’s attention.

Please vote for your favourite from these amazing species ... or if you don’t have time to vote, just don’t forget to look down, or up, or under a stone or into a pond; some of the most marvellous creatures you’ve never heard of may be a few millimetres away.

Readers have nominated thousands of amazing animals, we’ve chosen a shortlist of 10, and now you can vote for your favourite.

1. The common woodlouse – a detritivore with unexpected superpowers.

2. The immortal jellyfish can turn back into a baby jellyfish and grow up again.

3. The leaf sheep – the irresistibly cute solar-powered sea slug.

4. The greengrocer cicada can top 120 decibels and nearly break the pain threshold.

5. The Lord Howe Island stick insect – the giant stick insect that proves it’s not over till we give up.

6. The wandering glider - the dragonfly that migrates further than any other insect.

7. The moscardón bumblebee – the giant panda of the insect world.

8. The bootlace worm whose mucus could be the basis of new insecticides.

9. The horseshoe crab – the blue-blood arthropod that has changed little in 445m years.

10. The neon flying squid that fly in formation above the ocean.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.