#4133 · 🦗 bugs, crickets & other insects
European Earwig
🇳🇱 Gewone oorworm ·Forficula auricularia
9 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Craig Biegler · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Jürgen Reichel · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Caleb Villar · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Sylvain Rousseu · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Марина Горбунова-Ëлкина · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Stephan Kleinfelder · CC0
- 7. © Stephan Kleinfelder · CC0
- 8. © Guillaume Labeyrie · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Ferran Turmo Gort · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
what is it?
Forficula auricularia is a species complex comprising the common earwig . It is also known as the European earwig . It is an omnivorous insect belonging to the family Forficulidae. The name earwig comes from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded. The species name of the common earwig, auricularia , is a specific reference to this feature. The European earwig survives in a variety of environments. It is also...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 31,439 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
fact sheet
- English
- European Earwig
- Nederlands
- Gewone oorworm
- scientific name
- Forficula auricularia
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Dermaptera
- family
- Forficulidae
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings in Europe
- 6,170
- sightings worldwide
- 31,439
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 1470430, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.