About Insect Facts
Insects are small, but their numbers, diversity, adaptations, and ecological roles are enormous. They include some of the fastest fliers, strongest animals for their size, most complex societies, and most unusual life cycles on Earth.
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More Than a Million Named Species
Scientists have formally described more than a million insect species.
Learn MoreFirst Powered Fliers
Insects evolved powered flight long before birds or bats.
Learn MoreSmall Bodies Can Be Strong
Some insects can move many times their own body weight.
Learn MoreSuperorganisms
Ant, bee, wasp, and termite colonies can behave like coordinated systems.
Learn MoreBioluminescence
Fireflies create light through a chemical reaction.
Learn MoreMasters of Disguise
Insects mimic leaves, bark, twigs, bird droppings, dangerous species, and even flowers.
Learn MoreEars in Strange Places
Insect hearing organs can occur on legs, abdomen, thorax, or wings.
Learn MoreEcosystem Engineers
Insects shape entire ecosystems.
Learn MoreMore Than a Million Named Species
The real total is probably much larger.
First Powered Fliers
Flight helped them disperse, escape predators, and reach new food sources.
Small Bodies Can Be Strong
Scaling laws help explain why small animals can achieve impressive strength relative to size.
Superorganisms
Individuals specialize in reproduction, defense, food gathering, construction, and brood care.
Bioluminescence
The light is highly efficient and produces little waste heat.
Masters of Disguise
Camouflage and mimicry evolve through natural selection.
Ears in Strange Places
Different groups evolved hearing independently.
Ecosystem Engineers
They pollinate, decompose, turn soil, disperse seeds, control populations, and feed countless other animals.