And these insects weren't tiny, either. Insects from ants to zorapterans share the same basic structures to form their mouthparts. Others, such as monarch butterflies [photo below], migrate long distances to avoid the winter chill. %���� The oldest definitive insect fossil, Rhyniognatha hirsti, is estimated to be 407 to 396 million years old. With an average life of one to 24 hours, mayflies are the insect with the shortest life span. A fierce hunter, it can reach speeds of 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) per hour when chasing prey. Insects are small animals with a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae.. The fastest flying insect is Horse fly. Life On White/Getty Images. Acrobat Distiller 9.5.1 (Windows); modified using iTextSharp 4.1.6 by 1T3XT They don’t need much, however: a simple raindrop will do. The only insect indigenous to Antarctica is the wingless midge Belgica antarctica. Insects are everywhere. The body of an insect has three parts. The mandibles are the jaws. If we count every kind of land animal known thus far, from rodents to humans and everything in between, that total is still only about a third of the known insect species. Insects like water striders can literally walk on water, by distributing their low body mass in a way that maximizes the water's surface tension. All Canada Photos/Michael Wheatley/Getty Images. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. See the Attributions section at the back of the book for a complete list of sources, authors, artists, and licenses. The Devonian period, though called the Age of Fishes, also saw the growth of terrestrial forests on dry land, and with these plants came insects. Larvae usually look nothing like the adult insect. Not only is this insect very fast, but it also has great control and maneuvers in the air. hޤ��n�6����R���Hi7A�v�n@�(�A�K�ee�\7����[��$+���
۴��;��x(^��#�U�_((D�G@�S,ÌB�W?7^����&����! Air enters the tubes through a row of holes along an insect’s abdomen. <>stream Water striders use their small body mass and large surface area to their advantage on the water. Read on and enjoy a variety of interesting information about insects. An insect’s mouth is specially designed for the kind of food it eats. <> How these structures are modified reveals a lot about how and what an insect eats. If we count every kind of land animal known thus far, from rodents to humans and everything in between, that total is still only about a third of the known insect species. Strictly speaking, “bugs” are an order of insects called Hemiptera. The hypopharynx is a tongue-like structure that projects forward. The first part is the insect’s head. Not every insect is a bug. About Insectsapplication/pdfReading Comprehension Grade 2http://www.littleworksheets.com/grade2reading.htmlReading Comprehension Grade 2 All Canada Photos/Jared Hobbs/Getty Images. The praying mantis is the only known insect that can turn its head and look over its shoulder. Some insects get enough water from their food, be it moist plants or goo-filled prey, but others do need to drink water! Many adult insects die off in winter. Unfortunately, a good number will likely be extinct before we even find them. Image credits: Bernard DUPONT/Flickr. There Are Three Different Kinds of Insect "Eyes". endobj The egg hatches and larva emerge. They communicate through touch with their antennae and mouths; visually through combinations of flashes of light and combinations of colour; they make sounds to attract others of their own species or to send out signals to other species; and by smell: they produce chemicals called pheromones to send signals to within a species and chemicals called allomones for the warning signals that insects send out to other species. Facts about bugs. 2 0 obj Compound eyes are made up of dozens of lenses. 2012-08-02T14:03:25-04:00PScript5.dll Version 5.2.22012-08-02T19:16:40-04:00 The three orders – Protura, Collembola, and Diplura – now stand separately as entognathous hexapods instead of insects. Silkworms and bees have been used extensively by humans for the production of silk and honey, respectively. Many insects use color to camouflage themselves, effectively allowing the insect to blend into its environment. Insects live in just about every habitat on Earth, from the sands of hot deserts to cold snowy mountain streams. As a group, insects dominate the planet. The air then diffuses down the blind-ended tracheae. In recent years, scientists determined that some six-legged arthropods that were long considered insects really weren't insects at all.