---
title: "Not all minibeasts are insects"
description: "Not all minibeasts are insects: distinguishing insects from other minibeasts. Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts (arachnids), woodlice have 14 legs (crustaceans), worms have no legs, snails have a s"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/not-all-minibeasts-are-insects-mt_4vHa3I5bNj
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/not-all-minibeasts-are-insects-mt_4vHa3I5bNj.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Not all minibeasts are insects

Not all minibeasts are insects: distinguishing insects from other minibeasts. Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts (arachnids), woodlice have 14 legs (crustaceans), worms have no legs, snails have a shell and one foot. The 'Is it an insect?' sorting game.

Subject: Science · Area: Insects & Minibeasts · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/not-all-minibeasts-are-insects-mt_4vHa3I5bNj

## Ready when they can

- Sort a set of minibeasts into 'insect' and 'not insect' groups using the six-legs rule
- Explain why a spider is not an insect by noting it has eight legs and two body parts
- Name at least one difference between insects and another minibeast group such as worms having no legs or woodlice having fourteen

## Lesson: Not all minibeasts are insects

You already know the rule: an insect has six legs and three body parts. But not every small creature you find outside is an insect. Some minibeasts just live in the same places, like under rocks or in the grass, without being insects at all.

*(drawing: An insect has 6 legs. A spider has 8 legs and only 2 body parts. Eight is more than six, so a spider is not an insect. It is an arachnid.)*

**Example.** A woodlouse has fourteen legs, way more than an insect's six. A worm has no legs at all and moves by stretching its long body. Both are minibeasts, but neither one is an insect.

A snail is a minibeast too. It carries a shell on its back and glides along on one foot. Like the worm, a snail has no legs, so it is not an insect either.

**Tip.** When you play the 'Is it an insect?' game, count the legs first. Six legs and three body parts means yes. Any other number, like eight, fourteen, or zero, means no, it is a different kind of minibeast.

**Recap.** Insects have six legs and three body parts. Spiders, woodlice, worms, and snails are minibeasts, but none of them are insects.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [The insect body plan](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-insect-body-plan-mt_oNWXXAn3cn)

## Opens up

- [Sorting and Identifying Minibeasts](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/sorting-and-identifying-minibeasts-mt__bhJX2SuFJ)
- [The most successful animals on Earth](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-most-successful-animals-on-earth-mt_5_Zr9xXDNH)
- [Grouping Living Things](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/grouping-living-things-mt_AylKwhbDWM)