The largest phylum of animals on Earth, characterized by jointed legs, segmented bodies, and a hard outer skeleton; includes insects, spiders, crustaceans, and millipedes.
From arthro- (jointed) + poda (from Greek pous, foot). The term was coined in the early 19th century to classify all creatures with jointed appendages, creating what became the most successful animal group in evolutionary history.
Arthropods make up 80% of all known animal species on Earth—beetles alone outnumber all vertebrates combined—and their secret is that jointed body plan described by this single word: the arthropod design is just unbeatable.
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