Definition of velvet worm
: any of a phylum (Onychophora) of terrestrial, wormlike invertebrates that are found in damp, dark habitats of the southern hemisphere and have dry, velvety skin and numerous pairs of short, thick legs
Note:
Velvet worms are noted for having morphological characteristics that resemble those of both arthropods and annelids.
- Peripatus resemble downy caterpillars—hence their other name, the velvet worm—and live solely in moist places like rotten logs and leaf litter.
- —Matthew Cawood, Australian Geographic, April/June 1997
- Members of the phylum Onychophora or velvet worms have incited debate for years regarding their position in the animal kingdom.
- —George Poinar, Jr., Science, 6 Sept. 1996
