How does insects move

This year I plan to do this as a first-day activity so students in biology start on day one doing science. You can also have students upload a video of their group movements to a CMS. As an extension, you can talk about Rhex, the 6 legged robot hexapod whose design was inspired by insects. This type of movement has been shown to be stable on rough terrain.

I love this. I have the same students for at least 3 years teach grade science at a private school. Love that this gets my new sixth graders thinking and processing on the first day.

Also will let me establish my norms for lab safety, etc. My school is implementing a semester bio course similar to yours next year. We are going to use your website as a foundation to help us get started. Flight assists insects in the following ways:. Flight in insects varies dramatically, from the clumsy patterns of some beetles and true bugs to the acrobatic maneuvers of dragonflies and many true flies. Flies in the Family Syrphidae flower flies and hover flies are capable of astounding feats, including moving forward, backward, sideways, and up and down.

They can truly hover also, which is an uncommon ability in insects. Flight in insects is gained by muscles, not attached directly to the wings, that move the wings indirectly by changing the shape of the thorax. Highest altitude — Some butterflies have been observed flying at altitudes up to 20, feet.

Largest wings, modern — Wingspans of some butterflies and moths are the largest of all modern insects. Largest wings, extinct — The wingspans of fossil dragonflies, existing millions of years ago, were more than two feet. A fascinating account of the speed of a Deer Bot fly, Cephanomvia pratti, was made by entomologist C. Townsend in by estimating the speed of the fly as it flew between mountaintops.

Townsend published his findings, stating that the fly was able to accomplish a speed of miles an hour. This figure has been repeated for decades, but is now believed to be quite impossible.

That's really amazing to think about!! The study of insects is known as entomology. You would think all those entomologists could give a more accurate count of the number of insects on the earth. But counting insects is more or less impossible.

The truth is, most insects hide — that is one of the ways that they protect themselves. Many live underground or inside trees and other living things.

Lots of them have very short life spans — maybe a few days. This makes it hard to count them. So scientists make estimates based on colonies found in a given area or evidence insects leave behind. Insects do not have bones like you, but instead have a hard outer covering known as an exoskeleton. This exoskeleton protects their organs and gives them support for moving around. Their bodies are divided into three sections: the head, the thorax and the abdomen.

HEAD: The head is where you will find the eyes and mouth. The eyes of insects are much different than those we use to see. An insect has what is called a compound eye. While a human eye has just one lens for sight, the insect's eye is covered in lots of lenses which allows them to see in a wider span around their head. These eyes provide multiple images made up of dots — much the same way as a television works.

The mouth of insects can be one of two forms, depending on the insect. Some have a mouth shaped like a straw called a proboscis that allows them to suck nectar from flowers. Butterflies have this type of mouth. Mosquitos have a variation of this type of mouth which also allows for piercing the skin of a victim to suck out blood.

Other insects have chewing mouths for eating leaves or bark. Ants and termites are perfect examples of chewing insects. The chewing mouths can, in some insects, be used for tearing or cutting — they can even use them as tools to build.

Instead of a nose for smelling like we have, insects have antennae on the tops of their heads. These antennae do the same job our nose can do, but even better. It can help them tell temperature, locate food, identify egg laying locations, avoid pesticide , and even find companions.

The antennae can even be used for hearing or taste in some species of insect. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science.