Did you know that the Cicindela hudsoni, also known as the Australian Tiger Beetle, has been recorded as the fastest insect in the world? Despite its small size, it can run at an average speed of 5.5 mph (9 km/h), equivalent to a relative rate of 171 body lengths per second.
Interestingly, Tiger Beetles use a distinct chasing pattern known as "stop-and-go." They pause in the middle of their pursuit. The reason for this behavior is their poor eyesight. They cannot gather enough photons to form a clear image of their prey if they move too quickly. Therefore, they must stop, look around, and continue their chase.
Username: Nachima Published on 2024-12-13 15:25:11 ID NUMBER: 126928
Beetles, belonging to the order Coleoptera, are incredibly diverse insects that comprise a quarter of all known living organisms! There are an estimated 400,000 identified species of beetles, with so many species yet to be discovered1. Among them, there are size variations that would make your jaw drop.
On one end of the scale, we have the almost invisible feather-winged beetles, no larger than 0.01 inches. The Fringed Ant Beetle (Nymphister Kronaueri) is the smallest known beetle and measures around 0.25 millimeters in length. On the other end, the Goliath Beetle, which can grow to 6.7 inches and weigh 1.8 ounces, is one of the longest and heaviest insects in the world.
Furthermore, beetles live in almost every habitat except the extreme polar regions. They live in the driest deserts and the wettest tropical rainforests!
One interesting fact about beetles is that they use a form of pollination known as "mess and soil" pollination. Unlike bees and butterflies, these insects can eat all parts of a plant, from pollen and other floral tissues to even the bark of trees. They even poop within the flowers.
They are the primary pollinators of primitive flowering plants like cycads, magnolias, and water lilies. These plants often have large, bowl-shaped, or cup-shaped flowers that are more open and accessible to beetles than those targeted by bees or butterflies.
Blister Beetles produce an acrimonious substance known as cantharidin, which holds medical applications as a topical skin irritant for wart removal.
Additionally, it has historically been a prominent ingredient in purported love potions. Moreover, cantharidin has been used as an aphrodisiac and colloquially referred to as a Spanish fly.
Did you know that the Cicindela hudsoni, also known as the Australian Tiger Beetle, has been recorded as the fastest insect in the world? Despite its small size, it can run at an average speed of 5.5 mph (9 km/h), equivalent to a relative rate of 171 body lengths per second.
Interestingly, Tiger Beetles use a distinct chasing pattern known as "stop-and-go." They pause in the middle of their pursuit. The reason for this behavior is their poor eyesight. They cannot gather enough photons to form a clear image of their prey if they move too quickly. Therefore, they must stop, look around, and continue their chase.
Did you know that the Cicindela hudsoni, also known as the Australian Tiger Beetle, has been recorded as the fastest insect in the world? Despite its small size, it can run at an average speed of 5.5 mph (9 km/h), equivalent to a relative rate of 171 body lengths per second.
Interestingly, Tiger Beetles use a distinct chasing pattern known as "stop-and-go." They pause in the middle of their pursuit. The reason for this behavior is their poor eyesight. They cannot gather enough photons to form a clear image of their prey if they move too quickly. Therefore, they must stop, look around, and continue their chase.
Did you know that the Cicindela hudsoni, also known as the Australian Tiger Beetle, has been recorded as the fastest insect in the world? Despite its small size, it can run at an average speed of 5.5 mph (9 km/h), equivalent to a relative rate of 171 body lengths per second.
Interestingly, Tiger Beetles use a distinct chasing pattern known as "stop-and-go." They pause in the middle of their pursuit. The reason for this behavior is their poor eyesight. They cannot gather enough photons to form a clear image of their prey if they move too quickly. Therefore, they must stop, look around, and continue their chase.
Often called the "lungs of the Earth," the Amazon rainforest spans nine countries, but about 60% lies in Brazil. In recent years, disastrous fires, caused mainly by humans, have engulfed extensive tracts of this precious forest and killed its wild inhabitants in thousands. These fires have plundered the natural wealth of vast sections of the Amazon, making a mockery of millions of years of evolution.
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. According to the Encyclopaedia of Earth, there are around 550 species of plants living in the Atacama Desert with over 60% being endemic.
Early in 2015, the Atacama Desert received a significant amount of rain, seven years worth of rain fell in twelve hours. Sadly as a result of the storm, people were killed, and thousands were left homeless.
The unusual amount of rain caused death and destruction, but it also gave life. Spring 2015 saw the usually dry and desolate looking landscape transform into a bright and vibrant landscape of pinks and purples.
The Pink Cistanthe grandiflora and hundreds of other flowering species emerged in a rare display called “Desierto Florido” or ” Flowering Desert”.
By the end of 2015, the desierto florido was over, and the landscape returned to its usual state.
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
