Part 11/14:
Their mating behaviors are often cryptic, rarely observed in the wild. Females tend to be larger and sometimes only reproduce once, storing sperm in specialized reservoirs. Reproduction can be via laying eggs, bearing live young, or a combination thereof, depending on the species. Females give birth to a few offspring, which develop directly without a larval stage, emerging as miniature adults.
Habitat, Distribution, and Conservation
Velvet worms are tightly linked to specific habitats—mainly pristine rainforests and moist, subtropical environments. Their distribution is circumtropical—found across tropical and temperate zones of the Southern Hemisphere—yet they are generally sparse and localized, thriving only in undisturbed ecosystems.