Title: The amazing fact book of insects
First published: 1980
Description: Did you know that a butterfly tastes with its feet and that some insects have tails made of wax? Insects are amazing creatures, as you will find out when you read this book. There are about one million different kinds of insects in the world and some of the most interesting ones are included here. Some of them, such as the grasshopper, may be familiar, but even the best-known insects are as fascinating as the unusual and rare ones.
The word insect comes from the Latin word "insectus", which means "cut into". An insect's body is divided into three different parts: the head, the middle part called the thorax, and the hind part (abdomen). An insect has three pairs of legs and a pair of antenna (feelers). Many insects also have one or two pairs of wings.
Most insects lay eggs. The young insects that hatch from the eggs are called larva. (The larva of butterflies and moths are called caterpillars.) Larva move about and feed, but after a few months they become inactive. Some larva, such as caterpillars, spin a soft silky cocoon about themselves. Others grow a hard skin or shell. The animal is now called a pupa. While the pupa is resting, its body begins to change and, when it comes out of its cocoon or hard skin, it is an adult insect. The way in which an insect grows and changes is called metamorphosis.
Some insects, such as grasshoppers, do not go through all these stages as they change from larva to adults. When the larva hatch, they look very much like their parents, although they do not have wings. These larva are called nymphs. As they grow, they keep growing new skins. When the skin becomes too small, it splits open and the nymph crawls out. This may happen several times before the nymph becomes an adult. Insects that grow in this way are said to have incomplete metamorphosis.
Subjects: Insects, Juvenile literature
LC classification: QL467.2 .H67 1980