Velvet Worms are a group of animals that are so different from other animals that scientists give them their very own phylum (called Onychophora). Most of them are only about an inch or two long (3-5 cm long), but the biggest is an enormous monster of a Velvet worm - it grows up to 22 cm (9 inches) long! The babies of this species are bigger than the adults of most other types!

This gigantic Velvet Worm lives in the jungles of Costa Rica, and doesn't lay eggs. You can see a picture of it here. It was discovered by a biologist called Alejandro Solórzano.

There's one thing you may be wondering - what is this huge Velvet worm called? And the bad news is - the poor creature doesn't have a name at all! Informally, experts in the field call it the Giant Velvet Worm. However, this can't be its official name until a scientist takes the time to study the creature, and write an essay about it for other scientsist to read. In that essay. The scientist will decide on the official name for this giant Velvet Worm. He or she might call it the "Giant Velvet Worm", but they might just as easily call it "Solórzano's Velvet Worm". Until the right scientist writes this essay, this poor Costa Rican wonder will remain without a name!