Springtail fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are springtails?

Springtails are tiny six-legged invertebrates in the group Collembola. They are arthropods and hexapods, but they are not true insects. Most springtails are only a few millimetres long, so they are easy to miss unless you look closely in damp soil, leaf litter, moss or rotting wood.

Springtails get their common name from the way many species can spring into the air when disturbed. This jump helps them escape predators and quickly disappear into the leaf litter. Some springtails have long narrow bodies, while others are rounded and globular.

A springtail.

A globular springtail on damp leaf litter.

Where do springtails live?

Springtails live in damp places where there is shelter, moisture and decaying organic matter. They are often found in soil, leaf litter, moss, compost, mulch, under bark, around rotting logs and near the edges of creeks or ponds.

At Field of Mars Reserve, springtails are likely to live in leaf litter, damp soil, rotting wood, mossy patches, bark crevices and shaded ground habitats. These places help protect springtails from drying out. After rain, springtails may become easier to see because moist conditions allow them to move around safely.

Springtails live in damp places such as leaf litter.

What do springtails eat?

Most springtails are decomposers. They feed on fungi, bacteria, algae and tiny pieces of decaying plant or animal material. By feeding on these materials, springtails help break down leaf litter and return nutrients to the soil.

Springtails are part of a hidden food web in the soil. They are eaten by spiders, mites, beetles, ants, centipedes and other small predators. Even though they are tiny, they help connect dead leaves, fungi, soil and animals in bushland ecosystems.

Many springtails feed among soil, fungi and decaying plant material.

What is the life cycle of a springtail?

Springtails have a simple life cycle. They hatch from eggs into tiny young springtails. The young look like smaller versions of the adults, rather than larvae or caterpillars. As they grow, they moult by shedding their outer covering.

Springtails do not have a pupa stage. They continue growing through several moults until they become adults. In damp habitats with plenty of food, springtails can build up in large numbers.

Young springtails look like smaller versions of adults.

What adaptations do springtails have to help them survive?

Many springtails have a forked springing organ called a furcula. It is folded under the abdomen and can flick the springtail into the air when the animal is disturbed.

This sudden jump helps springtails escape predators. They do not steer through the air like a grasshopper. Instead, they spring away quickly and land in a new spot, making them difficult for predators to catch.

The furcula is a forked organ that helps many springtails jump.

Why are springtails important?

Springtails are important because they help recycle nutrients. By feeding on fungi, bacteria and decaying material, they help break down leaf litter and support healthy soil.

They also provide food for many small predators. A healthy patch of leaf litter can contain many tiny animals, including springtails, mites, ants, beetles, spiders, millipedes and slaters. Together, these invertebrates help keep soil ecosystems active and balanced.

Springtails can gather in large numbers when conditions are damp.

How can you help springtails?

You can help springtails by protecting damp, natural ground habitats. Leave some leaf litter under trees and shrubs, keep fallen logs and bark in garden beds where it is safe to do so, and avoid unnecessary pesticide use. Native plants, mulch, rotting leaves and shaded soil all help create places where springtails and other small invertebrates can survive.

A springtail among damp soil particles.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – Explore insects, spiders, crustaceans, molluscs, worms and other small animals.
• Insects fact sheet – Compare springtails with true insects and other six-legged invertebrates.
• Common rough slater fact sheet – Learn about another small invertebrate found in damp leaf litter.
• Land hopper fact sheet – Compare springtails with small jumping crustaceans that also live in damp leaf litter.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet – Discover how fallen leaves, bark and twigs provide shelter, food and moisture for small animals.
• Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Explore the cool, damp shelters used by many soil and leaf-litter animals.
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet – Learn about the bushland ecosystem that produces leaf litter and supports decomposers.
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Explore the local reserve habitats that support small invertebrates.

Animals that share this habitat

• Bush cockroach fact sheet – Learn about another leaf-litter decomposer that recycles dead plant material.
• Millipede fact sheet – Compare springtails with many-legged decomposers that live in damp places.
• Centipede fact sheet – Explore a leaf-litter predator that may feed on small invertebrates.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Spider fact sheet – Learn about predators that hunt insects and other small invertebrates.
• Termite fact sheet – Learn about insects that also recycle dead plant material.
• Earthworm fact sheet – Compare springtails with soil animals that help recycle organic matter.

Learn with us