explore insect

Insect e.explore Senior Editor Clare Lister Weblink Editors Niki Foreman, John Bennett Cartography Simon Mumford Managing Editor Linda Esposito Digital Development Manager Fergus Day DTP Co-ordinator Tony Cutting Jacket Copywriter Adam Powley Jacket Editor Mariza O’Keeffe Publishing Managers Andrew Macintyre, Caroline Buckingham Consultant Dr George McGavin, Oxford University Museum of Natural History Senior Art Editor Jim Green Designers Jacqui Swan, Nicola Harrison Illustrators Mark Longworth, Robin Hunter Managing Art Editor Diane Thistlethwaite Picture Research Frances Vargo Picture Librarians Sarah Mills, Kate Ledwith Production Emma Hughes Jacket Designer Neal Cobourne Art Director Simon Webb L ONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, M UNICH, and DELHI First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL Penguin Group Copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited Google™ is a trademark of Google Technology Inc. 05 06 07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 4053 0366 2 Colour reproduction by Media Development and Printing, UK Printed in China by Toppan Printing Co. (Shenzen) Ltd Discover more at www.dk.com Insect e.explore Written by David Burnie [...]... INSIDE INSECTS An insect s internal organs do the same work as ours, but in different ways For example, insects do not have lungs Instead, oxygen enters their bodies through tiny tubes, called tracheae, which reach all of their cells An insect s heart is long and narrow, and it runs just beneath its back Unlike our blood, insect blood does not carry oxygen, and it is yellowish-green instead of red Insects... 32 PREDATORY INSECTS Insects have many enemies, but the most deadly are often other insects Some chase their prey in the open, while others use stealth, taking their victims by surprise Some do not feed until their prey is dead, but praying mantises start straight away, while their meal is still struggling to escape Predatory insects eat a huge range of small animals, including other insects, spiders,... ponds, and streams teem with insect life Mosquito larvae feed on microscopic specks of food, but some freshwater insects, such as water bugs, are big enough to kill tadpoles and even small fish On the water’s surface pondskaters pounce on insects that have crash-landed, grabbing them before they have a chance to fly away CAVES AND MOUNTAINS > Caves are home to some unusual insects Cave crickets are almost... breed This kind of change is called complete metamorphosis 12 INSECT HABITATS Wherever you are in the world, insects are not far away They live in every type of habitat on land, from steamy tropical rainforests to the darkness and silence of caves Many insects grow up in freshwater, and plenty spend their adult lives there as well Some insects live along the shore, and a few even skate over the surface... branches that spread deep into an insect s body Oxygen diffuses (spreads) through the tubes from the air outside, and into the insect s cells At the same time, carbon dioxide waste diffuses in the opposite direction Some large insects squeeze their bodies to help the gases on their way < AIR HOLE Each trachea starts at an opening called a spiracle, on the side of an insect s body This picture shows... surroundings – although not quite as good as ours If insects were as big as we are, some of their eyes would be as large as footballs and their antennae would be up to 2 m (7 ft) long Fortunately, insects never reach this size, but their senses play a vital part in their lives For us, sight is the most important sense, and it is for many insects too Most insects also have a superb sense of smell, and some... signals, building up a picture of what our eyes see INSECT VISION When an insect looks at the same scene, it sees it in a different way Each facet (unit) in its eyes looks at a narrow part of the view The signals from all the facets then travel to the insect s brain Here, the brain adds up the signals, creating a composite picture of the outside world Insects’ vision is not as detailed as ours Coloured... crickets, it does not have powerful back legs It can crawl and fly, but it cannot jump STICK INSECT A stick insect s legs are long and spindly, and its feet have hooked claws to give it a good grip Stick insects rely on their camouflaged exoskeleton for protection, and their legs play a part too When a stick insect moves, it often sways from side to side This makes it look like part of a plant, moving... ARMY ANT 0.05 M/SEC (2 IN/SEC) Prolegs release grip prior to rear end moving forwards Body loops as prolegs move close to front legs < INSECT ATHLETES Insect speeds are difficult to measure, because insects rarely run for long However, the title of fastest-running insect almost certainly goes to predatory tiger beetles – they can sprint at 2.5 m/sec (8 ft/sec), which is the same as a gentle jog Cockroaches... wings are small, they are amazingly effective, and there are few places on land that flying insects cannot reach Most insects have four wings, although true flies only have two Their wings are usually thin and transparent, but in some insects – such as beetles – the forewings are thickened for extra strength Once an insect s wings have developed, they cannot grow any more If the wings are damaged in any . SECTION INSECT CLASSIFICATION 90 GLOSSARY 92 INDEX 94 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 96 HOW TO USE THE WEBSITE 6 INSECT WORLD 8 WHAT IS AN INSECT? 10 INSECT HABITATS 12 LIFE IN A CASE 14 INSIDE INSECTS 16 INSECT. MOTHS 68 INSECT LIFESPANS 70 SURVIVING EXTREMES 72 SOCIAL INSECTS 74 BEES, WASPS, AND ANTS 76 INSECT ARCHITECTS 78 LIFE IN A GROUP 80 SWARMS 82 MIGRATION 84 INSECTS AND PEOPLE 86 STUDYING INSECTS. FLIES 40 PARASITIC INSECTS 42 FEEDING ON PLANTS 44 FEEDING AT FLOWERS 46 TRUE BUGS 48 SCAVENGERS AND RECYCLERS 50 INSECT DEFENCES 52 How to use the e .explore website e .explore Insect has its own