Insects
Insects are cold blooded arthropods and
represent 90% of all life forms on earth. They are among the most
diverse groups of animals on the planet, with over 1 million different
known species and as many as 9 million more yet to be discovered.
Insects have three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. They have three
pairs of legs with six joints and they have two antennae. Bugs have
external skeletons. These “exoskeletons” contain sense organs for
sensing smell, sound, light, temperature, wind and pressure.Most
insects go through 4 life stages: egg, larvae or nymph, pups and adult.
Bugs do not have lungs and most have compound eyes, meaning each eye
has many lenses.
Adult insects usually move about by walking or flying...and sometimes by swimming. They are the only animals without backbones that fly. As it allows for rapid yet stable movement, many walk with their legs touching the ground in alternating triangles.