A special kind of fascinating worm that is extraordinary in their appearance and their ability to capture prey by shooting out a sticky glue. The worm is not any normal kind of worm this unique worm has claws and walks around with strange-looking antennas. It may be mistaken as an alien, but it does hold a lot of mystery within its DNA about its evolution. The species of choice was the velvet worm, a rare species belonging to the phylum Onychophoran. The velvet worm has been a fascinating species of science that still attracts the attention of many due to its unique structure and remarkable adaptations. Scientists are closely drawn to this unique creature “due to their rarity, peculiar lifestyle, and significance for studies of animal diversity, evolution, biogeography, and conservation” (Oliveira). As illustrated, velvet worms spark curiosity among scientists based on their many characteristics and how they came to be where they are today. Various species within the velvet worm are usually subdivided into two primary families known as either Peripatidae or Peripatosidae. Within those families, there are a variety of subspecies that are found to be related to both families of the velvet worm as stated, “ Onychophora, or velvet worms, are a key group for understanding ecdysozoan evolution. It comprises two families: Peripatopsidae, largely of Austral distribution, and Peripatidae, which is circumtropical,” (Costa). Ecdysozoan evolution is a group of specialized Animalia species comprising arthropods, tardigrades, and onychophorans. Together, these species share similarities that open a chapter into a broader world of science. The species can show a prehistoric background of what life could have been like in earlier earth formations and the evolution of other species. Velvet worms are a perfect example of a prehistoric species that can give scientists a lot of information about them since they “are believed to have remained largely unchanged and inhabited terrestrial environments for over 300 million years. Given their key phylogenetic position as one of the closest relatives to arthropods,” (Martin). Significant evidence is found within the velvet worm for what could be related, such as arthropods and their unique abilities that have allowed them to last for 300 million years being left unscathed. Further observations of the species can be noted from its unique characteristics and adaptability going further, there will be close observations of where the species lives, noticing any sort of patterns, and determining what the population is looking like in terms of growth over the years. Since it's comprised of two various families each family prefers different types of regions within different climates. Some prefer more of drier climates in the hot sun to hide in the moisture underneath trees or they prefer much more cooler and completely moist environments. If the velvet worm is experiencing growth in its population, then it should have an increase in distribution over time. Data would need to be collected to find out how large the distribution is in the species altogether.

Velvet Worm'

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Continue storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps and keep your content. Request that Esri migrate your account to ArcGIS Online by May 31, 2025, and complete migration by June 30, 2025.

If you requested to migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, complete the migration process before June 30, 2025.

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StoryMaps.com is retiring. Request migration to ArcGIS Online by May 31, 2025.

StoryMaps.com is retiring on June 30, 2025. Complete migration to ArcGIS Online before the retirement date.

To complete the migration of your StoryMaps.com account to ArcGIS Online, review and accept the Esri Master Agreement and Privacy Policy before June 30, 2025. For more information on migrating to ArcGIS Online, visit the <link>StoryMaps.com retirement page</link>.

StoryMaps.com Retirement and Migration to ArcGIS Online

After one year, you will need to purchase an ArcGIS Online subscription to continue using ArcGIS StoryMaps. Check out the StoryMaps <link>retirement page</link> for more information on the ArcGIS Online subscription options.

ArcGIS <link>StoryMaps</link> is the professional version of StoryMaps and is available as part of <link2>ArcGIS Online</link2>. Both products share similar storytelling capabilities, so if you are familiar with StoryMaps, you'll feel right at home with ArcGIS StoryMaps. Visit the <link3>retirement page</link3> for a detailed comparison between StoryMaps and ArcGIS StoryMaps.

If you do not migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, you can save any content you would like to keep before the June 30, 2025, retirement date. The options for saving content include saving stories as a PDF and saving frames using a screen recording. 

Esri is retiring StoryMaps. On June 30, 2025, StoryMaps will go offline, and StoryMaps content will not be available to edit or view. For more information, please visit the <link>StoryMaps retirement page.</link>

Introducing ArcGIS StoryMaps and ArcGIS Online: <link>AGSM Introduction video</link>

You are invited to migrate your account and content to ArcGIS Online where you can continue storytelling with maps. With ArcGIS Online, you’ll get access to ArcGIS StoryMaps and the easy-to-use story builder you are familiar with, plus so much more!

If you migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, you will have access to your existing stories, collections, and themes via ArcGIS StoryMaps, as well as an array of additional ArcGIS capabilities. (Your frames will be migrated and accessible when support for frames is added to ArcGIS StoryMaps.)

For more details about migrating your account and content to ArcGIS Online, please visit the StoryMaps <link>retirement page.</link>

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Esri will give you one year of access to ArcGIS Online at no extra cost and will migrate your account and content for you.

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To complete the migration of your StoryMaps account to ArcGIS Online, review and accept the Esri Master Agreement and Privacy Policy by June 30, 2025. 

Reminder of the retirement message, and reminder of the migration considerations. Hit the high points and link to the retirement page.

StoryMaps Retirement and Migration to ArcGIS Online

Both of these options include access to ArcGIS StoryMaps and the other ArcGIS Online apps and capabilities. Please note that there is a price difference between the two options that you will need to pay if you want to keep your account active when your free subscription expires. See the FAQs on the <link>StoryMaps.com retirement page</link> for more information about these subscription options.

Selecting Request migration below means that you are deciding to change your StoryMaps.com account to an ArcGIS Online subscription. During the free subscription, you will have access to your existing stories and collections via ArcGIS StoryMaps, as well as an array of additional capabilities offered by ArcGIS Online.

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