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Cabrillo National MonumentLighthouse at Sunset
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Cabrillo National Monument
Terrestrial Invertebrates
 
Jerusalem Cricket
NPS Photo
The Jerusalem Cricket looks frightening but is actually quite harmless. 
 

Cabrillo National Monument and the Point Loma peninsula are home to a variety of terrestrial invertebrates, including insects, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and a snail.  A genus of trap door spider is found here and nowhere else.  Black beetles (stink bugs) are common here, and two species of glow worm (beetle larvae) have been found on Point Loma.  Until 1995, silk-spinning crickets were found only on Catalina Island and the Tijuana hills; these wingless crickets have now been documented on Point Loma.  The large Jerusalem cricket (potato bug) is found here under rocks and wood, and make a tasty meal for foxes and coyotes.  The shoulderband snail emerges at night from under rocks during the rainy season.

 

 

Learn more about San Diego's invertebrates
Learn more about San Diego's invertebrates
Visit the San Diego Natural History Museum's website for more information
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Did You Know?
Did you know that Cabrillo National Monument Foundation has original interpretive and educational items not found at any other national park?

Last Updated: January 26, 2009 at 17:47 EST