• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

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Phylum Arthropoda is the largest and most diverse phylum in the animal kingdom, encompassing insects, arachnids, crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, and several other groups. Arthropods are characterized by their segmented bodies, jointed appendages, and a hard external skeleton, or exoskeleton, composed primarily of chitin. To grow, they periodically shed this exoskeleton through a process known as molting. Members of this phylum occupy virtually every habitat on Earth, including terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and even aerial environments.