Creepy But Cool: These 5 Critters Are More Helpful Than Scary

Throwing a Halloween party this year? Don’t be scared if these guests crash the event. These creepy-crawlies are actually pretty cool — and they also do their part to keep the environment healthy.

INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

All those eyes and legs on spiders can definitely cause panic! But most are harmless — and helpful. For instance, jumping spiders can eat as many as 2,000 insects a year, including mosquitoes, flies and caterpillars.

And jumping spiders’ “spidey senses” are amazing: They can see pretty much all the way around themselves, even what’s behind them. They can leap up to 40 times their body length. (That’d be like you jumping over 15 cars lined up!) They’re also pretty smart — they can plan stalking routes, figure out detours to catch prey and remember locations.

LOTS OF LEG ROOM

You might think that the “milli” in millipede means they have a thousand legs. Nope — most have only a few hundred.

(OK, so that’s still a little creepy!)

Unlike centipedes, millipedes don’t bite, sting or pinch. They’re basically pretty chill as they use their legs — two pairs per body segment! — to explore. Plus, they’re great recyclers. They eat dead leaves and plants, then poop out the remains, which nourish the soil.

PLAYING WITH MUD

Mud daubers are the shy members of the wasp family. Unlike most of these stinging insects, they live alone, so they won’t get aggressive if you accidentally get near a nest. In fact, unless you try to handle one, they rarely sting. (Hey, even wasps can get scared.)

And their nests are pretty cool: Built out of mud (because “mud daubers”), they look like a bunch of tiny tubes, each of which holds one egg — and a paralyzed spider for the baby wasp to eat once it hatches. Plus, these buzzers are pollinators, eating flower nectar and then transferring pollen to help plants grow.

A GOOD ROACH??

The freaky roaches that might lurk in your kitchen cabinet can spread bacteria and other germs. But wood roaches are like their good-guy cousins. Living outside under bark or logs, they munch decaying leaves and wood. Females even protectively carry around their eggs in a little backpack-like sac until they find a safe place to deposit them!

NO BRAINER

Have you heard the story about earwigs crawling into your ear and laying eggs in your brain while you’re sleeping? Don’t worry — it’s totally not true! And even though those pincers growing out of what looks like their rear end seem scary, they’re just for protection and hunting. (And they’re not hunting you!)

Earwigs can be good for gardens, chomping on pests like aphids, mites, caterpillars and insect eggs (as in, future pests). Like some of these other creepy-crawlies, they also eat rotting plant matter and fungi, breaking down decaying organic matter to help improve the soil.

How to Catch a Bug

Don’t kill bugs in your house. Instead, take them outside to their natural habitat. Here’s how:

1. Grab a clear jar or plastic container and paper/index card.
2. Cover the bug with the jar.
3. Slide the paper underneath the jar. (Be careful not to injure delicate feet/legs.)
4. Check out how cool the bug is.
5. Take it outside!

5 Critters With Creepy-Sounding Names

GHOST SHARK: These pale deep-sea creatures are actually cousins of sharks. Using special receptors in their snout, they hunt by sensing electrical signals of prey hidden in the seafloor.

GILA MONSTER: These lizards from the southwestern part of the United States have a venomous bite but move slowly. They’re rarely a threat to people.

VAMPIRE BAT: No vampires here! These Central and South American fliers drink only tiny sips of blood, usually from cows, deer and other wildlife.

CLOWNFISH: This name might sound scary for anyone with coulrophobia (fear of clowns). But come on — Nemo is one of them!

HALLOWEEN CRAB: Found in coastal areas of Mexico and Central America, these land crabs live mostly in forests and head to the ocean only to breed.

Selena Birgit Kiser and Mark Kiser are wildlife biologists whose mission is to help birds, bats and other species of critters through conservation and education.