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bzzzz, bzzzz. YIKES! Insects are everywhere! Did you know there are one
million different types of recorded insects. They make up 95% of the animal species in the world.
To be classified as a bug, you have to have all of the right parts, three parts in
fact. They include:
three body parts - a head, thorax, and abdomen
six jointed legs
two antennae
an outside skeleton
If a thing doesn't have these . . . it's not a bug!
The insects in Africa include some of the largest as well as the smallest insects in the world.
Here are just a few of the unique ones found there:
Goliath beetle- HUGE! This is known to be the largest insect in the world! This
beetle is larger and heavier than any others, although some insects are longer. It is the size of a tennis ball, and
believe it or not, it still flies. It belongs to the scarab beetle family that has 30000 types. These insects
are important to Africa because they eat dead plant material and clean the continent up so to speak. Goliath beetles
only live on the continent of Africa.
The dwarf blue butterfly is found in South Africa and is the smallest butterfly in the world.
Termites are very important to the African ecosystem. They build massive mounds.
When these mounds are abandoned by the termites, usually when the colony queen dies or is killed, they provide a home
to many animals that live on the plains of Africa such as warthogs, porcupines, spotted
hyenas, dwarf mongooses, pygmy kingfishers, rock monitors, black mambas, and banded rubber frogs. Termites also eat
a lot of plant material and are thus full of protein, so when eaten, they make a good meal for the animals in Africa.
Interesting insect facts . . .
Did you know that there are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human
beings on the entire earth! Now that's amazing.
Can you guess the answers to these questions?
You are lying in your bed at night and hear an annoying chorus of crickets. Are these
crickets male or female, old or young? answer: Only male adult crickets chirp.
You are outside and just got bit by a pesky mosquito. "I hate mosquitos!" you shout.
Do you think all mosquitos are on a mission to bite you? answer: No, only female
mosquitos bite in order to get protein from your blood to produce their eggs. Do you think mosquitos prefer
to bite a young child or an adult? answer: Studies indicate that mosquitos
prefer to bite children. Eating what food increases your chance of getting bit by one of these
annoying bugs? answer: bananas--I guess there might be something to that old saying that you get bit if you
taste sweet.
What color is the blood of insects? answer: The blood of mammals
is red, the blood of insects is yellow, and the blood of lobsters is blue.
Which do you think causes more human deaths per year--honeybees or poisonous snakes? answer: honeybees
Which is more dangerous--a female black widow spider or a rattlesnake? answer: The black widow is more poisonous than a rattlesnake.
What insect causes more human deaths than any other? anwer:
The mosquito is responsible for two million deaths each year.
How can ants build a colony so fast? answer: Ants never sleep,
and one colony can have around 500,000 ants.
How many bugs do you think you sleep with every night? answer: You
were hoping zero I'm sure, but the truth is that there are 600,000 dust mites living on a typical matress.
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