In virtually every piece of land on Earth – from near the summit of Mount Everest to Antarctica to caves nearly 2,000 metres underground – live tiny critters that have shaped the health of our planet for hundreds of millions of years.

They are known as springtails – an ancient group of invertebrates that evolved along with mosses and lichens dating back to more than 400 million years ago.

By taking a trip into their magical world, you will emerge from the forest with a newfound appreciation of the tiny and easily overlooked wonders that live with us.

It appears that the earliest written record of springtails is from 350 BCE by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his published notes History of Animals.

Our knowledge of springtails increased from the 1600s thanks to the improvement in microscopes that allowed scientists to take a closer look at these tiny animals. However, it was not until 1758 that Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus published the first formal scientific description of springtails.

At first glance these under-appreciated creatures might seem like insects. But they are quite distinct from insects due to their internal mouthparts, less defined body segments, lack of wings, and no real

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