Insects are a class of creatures called arthropods. There are over a million insects that we know of. This makes them the most varied and numerous of all living creatures.
What-a-pod?
Arthropods have jointed legs and insects have three pair of those. They do not have a backbone. Instead, they have a hard outer body, or exoskeleton. You'd recognise an insect from it's body, which is divided into three parts: the head, thorax and abdomen. Indeed, the world 'insect' means 'sections' in Latin.
FACT: Among the arthropods, insects are the biggest group. They are also the only arthropods with wings.
Different insects
The praying mantis eats other insects. This makes it a friend of a gardener, since it eats up aphids and moths that eat plants. It gets it's name from the way it catches its food- remaining motionless with its forelegs pressed together. Like many other insects, it can camouflage among plants as it waits for prey. This strange insect can move its head almost all the way around!
FACT: The preying mantis is an accomplished hunter!
Insects and diseases
Some insects can spread illness. There are more than 2,500 species of mosquito and they spread malaria, dengue, encephalitis, yellow fever and many other diseases. The fly spreads disease like cholera, dysentery and typhoid that it transports on its legs after landing on waste matter.
DID YOU KNOW? You find more insects the warmer the climate. This means the number of insects decreases as you move from the Equator towards the poles.
FACT: The common fly is a pest that spreads disease.
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The Earth
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