Flapping Flight - Insects Insects Insecta Insects are the most diverse group of organisms, and more than 300 million years ago, they were the first to fly.
Flight can evolve over time only if rudimentary wings help the organism to survive.
Before insects could fly, they may have had tiny wings for sailing on the water. Today, some flightless stoneflies use their wings as sails. Others flap their wings for propulsion on the water, a possible route to flight. Ancestral insects had four equal-sized wings, and many still do. Many insects, though, flap their wings in unison.