What is an Insect?

Links The Basics Characteristics of an Insect Vocabulary Different Kinds of Insects Species Size Doesn’t Matter The Life of an Insect Insects in Motion Author Resources Concept Map Quit

The Basics An insect is a very small animal with certain characteristics Most insects walk, but some can fly or jump Quit

Insect Characteristics All Insects have an exoskeleton They have three main body parts: thorax, abdomen, and head Insects also have a pair of antennae on the top of their heads Insects have compound eyes, three pairs of legs and many have two pairs of wings, but not all Quit

Vocabulary Abdomen – the posterior (farthest to the rear) section of an insect’s body Antennae – little “feelers” on top of the insect’s head that help them detect sounds and motion Thorax – the middle section of an insect’s body Quit

Vocabulary continued Invertebrate – animals that do not have a backbone. The exoskeleton is the reason insects do no need a backbone. Exoskeleton – the hard shell-like covering on the outside of the body Quit

Vocabulary continued Arthropods - any invertebrate animal with an exoskeleton and segmented body, and jointed appendages in pairs Arachnids – any various arthropod that has four pairs of segmented legs, and a body divided into two regions Quit

Different Kinds of Insects Ants, Grasshoppers, Butterflies, Beetles, and Spiders are a few of the insects you are probably familiar with There are over 700,000 different species of insects that are known, and still more are being discovered Quit

Species These species are categorized into a large group called Arthropods Spiders and scorpions are placed into a group called Arachnids inside of the Arthropods Quit

Size Doesn’t Matter Most insects are quite small, but this doesn’t mean they are at a disadvantage An ant is able to carry 20 or more times its own weight, and the bumblebee can carry up to 300 times its own weight! Quit

The Life of an Insect Insects still need food, water, and air to live just like we do The life span of an insect however, depending on the type, can range from one day to fifty years! Quit

Insects in Motion Video Video2 Quit