Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Shane Gross / Thorny or spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix) portrait made off Anilao, Philippines.

Georgette Douwma / Mantel of Spiny oyster (Spondylus varius). Indonesia. Indo-West Pacific.

Pascal Kobeh / Trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis) on the coral drop off, Sulu Sea, Philippines.

Jack Dykinga / Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) with Desert spiny desert lizard (Sceloporus magister) prey, Catalina State Park, Arizona, Sonoran Desert, USA. August.

Nick Upton / Running foliage spider / Spiny-legged sac spider (Liocranum rupicola), a nationally scarce species in the UK, hunting at night in an old stone wall, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Mark MacEwen / Octopus tree (Didiera madagascariensis), Spiny Forest, Berenty, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Sue Daly / Close-up of the limbs of a Spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis) showing its many tube feet moving over the seabed, Sark, British Channel Islands, UK, August.

Sue Daly / Spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis) moving its arms over the seabed, showing use of its tube feet, Sark, British Channel Islands, UK, August.

Alex Hyde / Spined glassfrog (Teratohyla spinosa) Central Caribbean foothills, Costa Rica.

Alex Mustard / Hedgehog seahorse (Hippocampus spinosissimus) female moves over a sandy seabed. Dauin, Negros Island, Philippines. Bohol Sea, tropical west Pacific Ocean.

Pascal Kobeh / Long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) with prehensile tail twined round seagrass, Etang de Thau Lagoons, Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

Nuno Sa / Long snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) in captive breeding laboratory at University of Algarve, Portugal. June 2010. Overall winner of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition 2015.

Suzi Eszterhas / Ring tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) feeding on Spiny forest tree (Didierea trollii).Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar

Alex Hyde / Harvestman (Megabunus diadema) with prominent, spiky eyes, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. April

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Spiny tree trunk (Pachypodium sp) Berenty Reserve, Madagascar.

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) foraging for insects, Tasmania, Australia

Daniel Heuclin / Red coachwip or Red racer (Masticophis flagellum piceus) eating Sceloporus lizard, Catalina foothill, Arizona, June.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / Fishing for West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) aboard the James Archer (Oceana fisheries). Crew haul up lobster trap. Saldanha Bay and St. Helena Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) captive at Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town, South Africa.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) commercial fishing boat (James Archer) leaves the Saldhana Bay harbour before the break of dawn. The lights of the town and the lighthouse flash on the horizon...

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / A hoop net with West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) being pulled up in sea kayak for recreational fishing. Kommetjie, Western Cape, South Africa

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / West Coast Rock Lobster (Jasus lalandii) observed by diver. Kalk Bay, Atlantic Ocean, False Bay, Valsebaai, Western Cape, South Africa

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / The crew of the James Archer, Oceana fisheries, throws baited lobster traps into the ocean to catch West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii). View from cabin window, Saldanha Bay and St. Helena Bay, W...

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / Recreational fishing in a sea kayak for West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii). Hoop net or trap is lowered onto the sea floor or kelp bed with a pouch of bait (sardines or pilchards) attached. Kom...

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / Crew of the James Archer (Oceana fisheries) pull up a lobster trap during West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) fishing, Saldanha Bay and St. Helena Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

Bert Willaert,Bert Willaert / Portrait of a Spiny-chest Frog (Alsodes norae) endemic to Oncol Park, Chile, January

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Long-beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bruijni) highland forests of New Guinea

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla / squinado) pair on rock covered with red algae, Lundy Island Marine Conservation Zone, Devon, England, UK, May.

Linda Pitkin / 2020VISION / Pink sea fan / Warty coral (Eunicella verrucosa) with attached eggs of a Common squid (Loligo vulgaris), eggcase of a Lesser-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula), and Spiny starfish (Marthasterias...

Anup Shah / Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) juvenile male 'Tembo' aged 4 years stripping the bark of a spiny branch to feed on the core, Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Ce...

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Fishermen aboard a small fishing boat packing a container full of Spiny spider crabs (Maja Squinado), caught using tangle nets, Cornwall, England, UK, June 2011

Alex Mustard / Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) scampers across a coral reef amongst sponges, Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. British West Indies, Caribbean Sea.

Dan Burton / Spiny / Yellow Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus). Studland Bay, Dorset, UK, September.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Aggregation of Spider crabs (Maja squinado) in shallow water off Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK, August. 2020VISION Book Plate.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Yellow / spiny seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) female sheltering is meadow of common Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Studland Bay, Dorset, UK, August. Did you know? The two species of seahorse found in Br...

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Spiny squat lobster (Galathea strigosa) close up, Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK, June

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / A captive Yellow / Spiny seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) attached to plastic seagrass, Weymouth Sealife Centre, Dorset, England, UK.

Alex Mustard / A young Spiny / Longsnouted / Yellow Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), aquarium image. This seahorse is part of a UK seahorse breeding program. Photographed at the SEALIFE quarantine and breeding fac...

Alex Mustard / A young Spiny / Yellow / Longsnouted Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), in an aquarium attached to plastic seagrass leaves. This seahorse is part of a UK seahorse breeding program. Photographed at the...

Alex Mustard / A female Spiny Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) in weeds. Sardina, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, East Atlantic Ocean, October.

Alex Mustard / A male Spiny Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) hides in seagrass. Etang De Thau (Thau Lagoon), Montpellier, France, Europe, September.

Alex Hyde / Spiny flower mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) in threat display with wings extended showing eye spots on wing cases. Captive, originating from Africa.

Alex Hyde / Spiny flower mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) shedding skin. Captive, originating from Africa.

Claudio Contreras / California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) in fishing net, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, January

Graham Eaton / Spiny Spider Crab (Maja squinado) with claws raised in an aggressive posture, in a fast tide, Abersoch, Wales, UK, May.

Alan Watson / Baobab tree (Adansonia rubrostipa) and Sogno (Didierea madagascariensis) in spiny forest, Reniala Reserve, Madagascar

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lilja / Greek spiny spurge (Euphorbia acanthothamnos) Imbros, Crete, Greece, April 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lilja / Spiny broom (Calicotome villosa) flowers, Omalos, Crete, Greece, April 2009

Claudio Contreras / Balloon fish (Diodon holocanthus) with defensive spines, Puerto Morelos National Park, Caribbean Sea, Mexico, January

Wild Wonders of Europe / Zankl / Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) on seaweed, Malta, Mediteranean, May 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Zankl / Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) Malta, Mediteranean, May 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Close up of Spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis) Moere coastline, Norway, February 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Spiny Squat lobster (Galathea strigosa) climbing on top of a mussel, Saltstraumen, Bod, Norway, October 2008

MORLEY READ / Spiny katydid / Bush cricket {Tettigonoidae} portrait, Ecuador

MORLEY READ / Spiny katydid / Bush cricket {Tettigonoidae} portrait, Ecuador

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp) their abdomen, or opisthosoma, is heavily sclerotized and armed with hard spines possibly to protect against birds and lizards, Solomon Islands

Doug Perrine / Spiny lobsters {Panulirus argus} annual migration from juvenile to adult habitat, Bahamas

Jeff Rotman / Newborn Spiny dogfish {Squalus acanthias} with yolk sac attached, Atlantic, USA

Jim Brandenburg / Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) sunning on rock, Monument Valley National Monument, Arizona

Mitsuaki Iwago / Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) portrait, Australia

Flip Nicklin / Long-spine Porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus) in defense posture, North America

Fred Bavendam / Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) scavenging on a dead Blue Dog (Squalus acanthias), Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada

Doug Perrine / Spiny lobster migration march from juvenile to adult habitat {Panulirus argus} Bahamas, Caribbean (Non-ex).

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb weaver (Micrathena) biting a flying ant caught in its web prior to eating it, Napo Province, Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Morley Read / Flat-headed spiny-backed frog (Osteocephalus planiceps) leaping from a branch, Amazon rainforest, Napo Province, Ecuador. (non-ex)

Robert Valentic / Cunningham's skink (Egernia cunninghami) basking at midday, Merri Creek on the northern fringe of metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. October. Controlled conditions.

Georgette Douwma / Kaleidoscopic image of Thorny oyster (Spondylus varians) pattern on mantle. Ceby, Malapascua Island, Philippines.

David Hall / Deepwater frogfish (Nudiantennarius subteres). Pantar, Alor Archipelago, Indonesia.

Shane Gross / Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), two in territorial fight in coral reef. Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, marine protected area, Bahamas.

Pascal Kobeh / Spiny flathead (Onigocia spinosa) half buried in sand on sea floor. Flores Sea, Indonesia.

Steven David Miller / Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) foraging for ants and termites. Carnarvon National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Nick Upton / Spiny broom (Calicotome villosa) with endemic Mouse ear chickweed (Cerastium supramontanum) amongst it. Branched asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus) in background with mountains beyond. Supramonte range, ne...

Nick Upton / Mouse ear chickweed (Cerastium supramontanum) amongst Spiny broom (Calicotome villosa). Branched asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus) in background with mountains beyond. Supramonte range, near Urzulei, Sard...

Nick Upton / Sage-leaved cistus (Cistus salvifolius) and Spiny broom (Calicotome villosa), Supramonte mountain range, near Urzulei, Sardinia, Italy. June.

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Bearded Ghoul (Inimicus didactylus), Anilao, Philippines

Nigel Cattlin / Spiny bollworm (Earias insulana) moth on unripe Cotton (Gossypium sp) boll, caterpillar food plant. Morocco.

Nigel Cattlin / Spiny bollworm (Earias insulana) caterpillar on damaged Cotton (Gossypium sp) boll. Morocco.

Cyril Ruoso / Spiny leaf chameleon (Brookesia decaryi) camouflaged amongst leaf litter. Madagascar Anja Community Reserve, Madagascar. uncatalogued check location, none was given

Cyril Ruoso / Reddish-grey mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus) in spiny tree. Berenty Reserve, Madagascar.

Pascal Kobeh / Long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), Canary Islands

Pascal Kobeh / Spiny devilfish (Inimicus didactylus) on the sand which it imitates and whose has been cut by a predator, Sulu sea, Philippines

Pascal Kobeh / Spiny spider crab (Maja brachydactyla), Sulu sea, Philippines

Franco Banfi / Diamond stingray (Dasyatis brevis) with Longspined porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus), Cabo Pulmo Marine National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Tony Wu / Demon stinger (Inimicus didactylus) sitting on the sand with venomous spines on full display. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi.

Robert Valentic / Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi) male, near St George, Queensland, Australia.

Robert Valentic / Northern spiny-tailed gecko (Strophurus ciliaris aberrans) female, Yardie Creek, Exmouth Peninsula, Western Australia.

Lucas Bustamante / Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) spiny crest silhouetted against sunset. Floreana, Galapagos Islands.

Shane Gross / Nocturnal Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) at night crawling in the Seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) looking for food. Eleuthera, Bahamas.

Georgette Douwma / Devilfish /Stinger (Inimicus didactylus). Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Devilfish / Stinger (Inimicus didactylus). Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii) near its excavated burrow, Rajasthan, India.

Robert Valentic / Cunningham's Skink (Egernia cunninghami) juvenile basking adjacent to a rock crevice, Merri Creek, Victoria, Australia. January.