This edition of The Naturalist's Apprentice looks at how insect legs are adapted to perform different functions in nature. The most primitive type of insect leg is used for walking or running. Over the 300 million years or so that insects have been around, their generalized walking legs have become adapted for a wide variety of functions, such as grasping, jumping, digging, and swimming. Introduce the subject of insect locomotion by talking about the insect leg. Have students learn to pronounce and spell the scientific terms for the various types of leg functions.
Insect legs are specialized for various functions.
Study the two columns below and match the leg description with the insect that has that type of leg. There may be more than one answer for each insect.