Crawling through the leaf litter, ngāokeoke are a peculiar sight! Velvet worms (Onychophora) are a group of invertebrates that look a bit like caterpillars, but they are not insects. The ngāokeoke (velvet worms of Aotearoa) are all from the family Peripatopsidae, which encompasses the Southern species of velvet worms, including those from Australia and South America. Velvet worms are interesting because they are considered ‘living fossils’ due to their uniqueness compared to other...