Hidden beneath forest floors, inside rotting wood, across deserts, caves and even near the summit of Mount Everest, lives one of Earth’s most ancient and important groups of animals springtails. These tiny invertebrates, largely unknown outside scientific circles, have been quietly shaping the health of the planet’s ecosystems for more than 400 million years.
Springtails, scientifically known as Collembola, evolved alongside mosses and lichens long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Today, they are found on every continent, including Antarctica, thriving in environments ranging from humid rainforests and mangroves to frozen polar soils and underground caves nearly 2,000 metres deep.
Despite their insect-like appearance, springtails are not insects. They lack wings, have internal mouthparts, show no true metamorphosis and possess less defined body segments. Most measure less than a millimetre in length, though the largest known species can grow up to 17 millimetres giants by springtail standards.
Historical records suggest that springtails were first described as early as 350 BCE by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Scientific understanding of these creatures expanded in the 17th century with the development of microscopes, but it was not until 1758 that Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus formally described them.
Springtails get their common name from a remarkable organ called the furcula, a spring-loaded appendage tucked beneath the abdomen that allows them to catapult into the air to escape predators. Another defining feature, the collophore, helps them absorb moisture from their surroundings, enabling survival in some of the driest habitats on Earth, including deserts.
Some species are strikingly colourful, appearing in bright reds, purples and fluorescent yellows, covered in fine hairs and bumps that give them an almost fantastical appearance. These larger, vividly coloured springtails have often been likened to mythical creatures rather than soil-dwelling animals.
Ecologically, springtails play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance. Found in enormous numbers in soil, leaf litter, moss, compost heaps and rotting wood, they regulate fungal and bacterial populations, break down organic matter and serve as a crucial food source for many other organisms. Scientists often refer to them as “canaries in the undergrowth” because changes in springtail populations can signal broader ecological stress.
Recent research published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society represents the most comprehensive global study of springtails to date, drawing on 25 years of specimen collection. The study proposes significant revisions to the classification of giant springtails belonging to the Neanuroidea superfamily, including the creation of two new subfamilies and the reassignment of nearly 200 genera.
The research also reveals that these springtails survived the mass extinction event 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. Notably, many of the largest species are remnants of ancient Gondwanan forests, now largely confined to southern hemisphere regions such as Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
However, these ancient survivors now face a growing threat. Giant springtails that depend on damp, decaying wood are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, particularly rising temperatures and drying conditions. As old-growth forests shrink or become unsuitable, scientists warn that many invertebrate species are being lost often before they are even formally identified.
Researchers describe this loss as a “silent” mass extinction, unfolding largely unnoticed but posing a serious threat to Earth’s biodiversity. The decline of springtails not only erodes the planet’s biological heritage but also undermines the delicate ecological processes that sustain healthy soils and forests worldwide.