This guide is made to showcase the in-game creatures and accurately classify them by their scientific nomenclature while also comparing their behaviors and notable traits.
I understand this is a work of fiction, however the creatures it involves are not.

Nocktowl and Punished_Rhodesian present...

Orb Weaver - Yellow Garden Spider Argiope aurantia

The orb weaver is depicted very strangely in Grounded. They wander around the grasslands occasionally leaving small patches of webs behind on grass or weeds. They actively chase and hunt the player if they wander into their territory or disturb one of their webs.
This is an extremely inaccurate depiction of the Garden Spider, who in real life sits in the middle of a web usually placed around knee height and does not like to leave it, however they do sometimes retreat to their webs to sleep. The 'Zig Zags' in the front and back of the web are believed to be used as a warning to birds and other large flying creatures to avoid the web.
The Orb Weavers are somewhat good practice for dealing with Wolf Spiders later on, and are an easier source of venom and spider parts, and are worth keeping alive to harvest silk from. They do not drop spider fangs, which leads us to thee most problematic creature you will face...


Wolf Spider - Rabidosa rabida/Pardosa hyperborea

Rabid Wolf Spider displaying it's Reflective eyes

The Exact species of wolf spider is up to debate, though it is most likely either the 'Striped Wolf Spider' or the 'Rabid Wolf Spider' Both are visually similar, however the Rabid variant (Note: they do not actually carry rabies) Is extremely active.
Wolf spiders in general are Nocturnal predators who use their large reflective eyes to spot prey in the darkness. Unlike most spiders Wolf Spiders are active predators and do not spin a web. (Their den is however covered in silk) They are lightning fast with a ground speed of 0.6 m/s and are easily considered apex predators of their size class.

A Female Rabid Wolf Spider carrying her spiderlings with her

Overall Grounded has a fairly accurate depiction of the Wolf Spider, A terrifying apex predator of the insect world. However, their behavior around each other and other spiders is inaccurate as Wolf Spiders are known to prey upon other spiders and other wolf spiders. The spiderlings also appear to be that of the Wolf Spider, but it is difficult to tell.

Wolf Spiders will be what keeps you cooped up in shelter at night, only late game should you even think about trying to take one down, and that will be an expensive fight. The easiest way to eliminate a wolf spider is simply to shoot it, but this will require you to bait it into a location that it cannot escape and you can shoot it, and will require A LOT of arrows. If you are a badass, you can attempt to fight them in melee. Armor does not matter when fighting the wolf, as if a single hit goes through you are likely to die from the venom regardless. Buff smoothies and stamina/damage boosting equipment are your friends here, and mastery of dodging/blocking is paramount.
Your reward for this herculean feat are spider fangs. They are best used in making the Insect Bow, which is probably the best weapon you can get.

Lawn Mite - Red Velvet Mite Trombidiidae

Upclose of a Balaustium Mite

Accurately figuring out which species of mite Grounded depicts is difficult. We know they are Red, Predatory, and Fuzzy. And that's about it. Alot of mites fit that description, so it is difficult to precisely pinpoint the species. My personal knowledge of Predatory mites is limited, however from what I know they tend to latch onto the exoskeletons of passing insects and dig into their joints to slurp out their 'hemolymph' (Insect Blood) In this respect the behavior of the Mites is strange to say the least. More information is required to accurately say if it is correct or not.

Beetles Cover a wide range of families among the Coleoptera order, Due to the amount of them they shall categorized in their entire order.

Bombardier Beetle - Brachinus

So apparently it is very difficult to find accurate information on different species of Bombardier beetle. The closest I could get was the Genus name, and even then what information I could dig up points to the Beetle in the game being an African species of Bombardier beetle. Their unique spray is made from the release of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, which explode when combined. this reaction is known as a 'Hypergolic' reaction.
I was able to find little information on their natural behavior, however their hypergolic spray is typically only used in defense against a larger predator (IE a wolf spider), and I could find no information on if it is used on prey items.
Strategies for defeating Bombardier beetles tend to revolve around high mobility and ranged attack. Their hypergolic spray is lethal even with the best armor and will stagger you if you survive. Try to lure them away from grass as they can eat it to restore their health (which is weird because they are carnivores...)

Lady Bug - Seven Spotted Ladybug Coccinella septempunctata
A Ladybug preying on a swarm of aphids

Ladybugs in Groudned are gentle giants. They just wander around with one goal in mind, eating Aphids. They behave pretty much the exact same way in reality, and as of such are welcome in any garden to keep the aphid population from getting too big.
Major differences appear in their defensive behavior, Ladybugs do not really fight back against predators. They rely on the chemicals in their body to make them taste so dreadful that only the most desperate predators would use their time trying to eat one, and even then If that predator does appear, they just fly away.
In game however they are essentially bulls. Luring them into a dense environment and picking away at them when they charge into a clump of grass is an excellent strategy, and their short ranged bite is highly telegraphed. They do not drop meat as it is Poisonous.

Weevil - Bronze Appletree Weevil Magdalis aenescens

Weevils are herbivorous beetles that feed on plants with mouth-parts hidden in their Rostrum (the snout). In grounded they are hapless little beetles who are preyed upon by pretty much everything that can attack them, which seems about right. The weevils ingame are members of the Curculionidae family known as 'True Weevils'. The Bronze Appletree Weevil appears black when viewed normally, but reflects a bronze shine and shares the most characteristics with the weevils seen ingame.

Grub - June Bug Grub Phyllophaga


While their exact species cannot be accurately identified they resemble the Grubs of a group of over 900 beetles called 'June Bugs' which people living in the U.S should be all too familiar with, especially if you leave your pool light on at night. But they could also be virtually any scarab grub.

In Grounded they serve as a widely available food source and are used in making the Grub Armor. They can be found mostly around the Oak Tree but sometimes they can be seen in other areas. They are identified by the ground they push up as they dig, and a player must use a shovel to uncover them prior to killing and butchering. Beware however, Lacewing Larva will also burrow and move through the ground in a similar manner.

Firefly - Common Eastern Firefly Photinus pyralis

Aphid - ???


There are alot of aphids, and pinpointing the species in Grounded is problematic...Ingame they seem to be too active and would not leave the 'safety' of their grassy meals. Some Ants would fiercely protect the aphids and milk them for their honeydew. Ladybugs prey on aphids as their primary food source.

Stinkbug - Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys


The Brown marmorated Stink Bug is an invasive species from Asia, They are a common pest and feed on plants with a proboscis.
Ingame the Stinkbug is a moderate threat, and should be the first large insect you target. Their gas attack is highly telegraphed but lethal without a mask. Unfortunately, you must kill one of these creatures to get a mask. The Bow is your best friend for your first engagement, After the mask is made they are easy to dispatch, just watch out for their bite. Gas Arrows are excellent for eliminating large groups of enemies, and are highly effective against ants.

Water Boatman Corixidae


Due to a lack of resources, I could not determine the species of Boatmen present in Grounded, however they are generally similar across their different species. Boatmen are true insects that only ever poke out of the water to trap a bubble of air on their bellies, then they dive back into the body of water they inhabit to eat on algae and other detritus floating through the water.
Ingame they are completely harmless and may be found in the fish pond. They can be killed to steal their air bubble and recharge your O2, their fins are also a critical part in a few recipes.

Ant
W.I.P

Wasp - Southern Yellowjacket Vespula squamosa


Wasps exist in Grounded as WIP creatures that can only be spawned with console commands. They appear as a Gnat with the word 'Wasp' over them, and currently do nothing. Based on the cover art, Three wasps can be seen flying, Looking at this closely I can safely say that these wasps are very likely to be Southern Yellowjackets. Also refered to as '♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥'

Bee - European Honeybee Apis mellifera

While Not yet Implemented, Bees have complete models and functional AI. They will fly towards flowers like Thistle or the large flower bushes in the Garden. While it could be argued that they could be Bumblebees due to their bulbous and fluffy bodies, The bees in Grounded are supposed to make Honey, which while Bumblebees do make honey, they do not make it in meaningful amounts.

Larva - Green Lacewing Mallada albofascialis


For those who played since the initial release, The Larva is a terrifying wave of pincers and spikes that destroys any in its path. However now that their spawn rate has been capped, they are simply early challenges that require just a bit more skill to dispatch than mites or ants.
In Grounded they can be found underground in their burrow, which they exit at night to hunt. Two entrances to the burrow exist, one is near the Trowel and requires a Hammer to break, the other can be found among the grasslands -but be warned, they will overwhelm you with numbers if you are not careful.

Thanks to helpful comments, The Larva has been identified as the Larval form of the Green Lacewing, an insect commonly used as a biological pest control due to their predatory nature. In reality, the Green Lacewing's larvae do not tend to burrow, rather using their hairs to catch debris that they use to hide themselves as they stalk their prey on the stems of plants and the bark of trees.

Gnat - ???

Due to model simplicity, the species of gnat is unable to be accurately identified. In grounded they act as mere annoyances, bumping into the player and nudging them around while humming. They can be killed for their meat and fuzz, and sometimes (strangely) will dive into water. They can be found nearby puddles and will gather around garden lamps at night.

Wait That's not a bug.

Koi - Gosanke Cyprinus rubrofuscus












The Koi Fish is a common decorative pond fish, rather than naming it by species alone they are named by their color patterns. In this case Grounded's Koi resembles a Gosanke. They grow quite large and as of such, are going to be a very big threat to you and your miniature SCUBA program.
The Koi are currently in a state of pre-implementation, They can only be spawned using console and their AI is quite glitchy. As of such no real information can be given other than what they look like.

Daphnia are tiny crustaceans that filter water through their tiny legs and eat algae and other really small food particles floating in the bodies of water they call home. These little guys are considered plankton due to their inability to swim against the currents and you can probably find some in virtually any unfiltered body of water.
In-game Daphnia serve as a minor threat and annoyance in certain bodies of water across the yard, mostly found in more stagnant or dirty water I cannot fathom why they are aggressive, as they really have no way of attacking aside from bashing into you. I hope in the future they will be relegated to their past role of background fauna and replaced with something actually dangerous like predatory Mosquito larvae or Hydras.

Corvus brachyrhynchos - American Crow

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The American Crow, like other birds in it's family are noted for their exceptional intelligence. These creatures are potentially the most dangerous creature in Grounded. Fortunately for us, they don't seem interested in picking off tiny people, and simply fly from perch to perch watching. In-game the Crow is a resource to be exploited, as it's feathers are an ingredient in the most powerful ranged weapons available. Let's hope it stays that way.

Anything that cannot be 100% placed in a category above is placed here.

Haze Spoilers!
The Fungal Infection


Despite it's similarity to the infamous cordyceps fungus It turns out that the fungal infection seen taking over the "Haze" is in fact a man-made parasitic fungus accidentally created by the good Doctor Wendell in hiss experiments with the SNPI-42Z particles (Raw Science). The Particles seem to have caused explosive compounds to build in the fungus, which it uses to release and spread it's spores. Rather than simply killing it's hosts, it takes complete control and uses it's new hosts to spread across the yard.


Spoiler End

This guide was made in the span of Three Hours after I took a shower and thought "Hey That might be a cool idea!". I will do my best to update the guide as updates and more information become available.

Suggestions, Feedback, Grammar errors, and Corrections are appreciated.