Tag Archives: insect facts

A Cricket’s Ears Are On Its Front Legs

Text Version: A cricket’s ears are on its front legs, just below the knees and they have four acoustic inputs. The openings in the crickets exoskeleton that act as ears, lead into chambers inside the legs, which connect to either side of the cricket, allowing sound to pass completely through the cricket. By facing one way or the other, the […]

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Why Does Itching a Mosquito Bite Make It Worse?

Now You Know

Nathan asks: Why does itching a mosquito bite make it itch more? It all comes down to your body’s histamine response to the female mosquito’s saliva.  After the mosquito has drunk her fill of your blood, she leaves behind the cocktail that is her saliva.  Your body’s response to this foreign substance is to produce a variety of antibodies to […]

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How a Firefly Glows

Today I found out how a firefly glows. The glow from a firefly comes from the lower part of their abdomen. This “lantern” portion has an evolutionary gift in the form of bioluminescence. The light produced by a small layer of cells called photocytes is reflected off several layers of reflective cells and emits a greenish-yellow glow. Specifically, inside the […]

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Caterpillars “Melt” Almost Completely Before Growing Into Butterflies in the Chrysalis

Today I found out caterpillars’ bodies “melt” almost completely before morphing into butterflies in the chrysalis. In order for the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly to take place within the pupa, the caterpillar begins releasing enzymes that literally digest nearly all of its own body.  What’s left inside the chrysalis is mostly just a very nutrient rich soup […]

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“Daddy Long Legs” Are Not the Most Poisonous Spider

Myth: Daddy Long Legs are the most poisonous spider in the world. Daddy Long Legs are not the most poisonous spider as you’ll often hear people say. We’ll just ignore the fact that there’s a big difference between “poisonous” and “venomous”, which makes the previous sentence even more ridiculous and assume people mean “venomous” when they make that statement. We’ll […]

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