While most people think centipedes have a hundred legs, most have significantly more or less than this, ranging from 15 to 177 pairs of legs. How many legs do they actually have? The name centipede comes from the Greek for…
Fireflies need a variety of things to be able to survive and glow, including oxygen and food. However, not all species glow, and within certain species, adults may not glow, so it is also depends on the individual firefly. What…
Fireflies produce light within an area of their abdomen known as the ‘lantern’. Here, a chemical reaction takes place by adding oxygen to the already present calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and luciferase enzyme. What is bioluminescence? Bioluminescence is the ability…
Fireflies do not sting or bite, instead, they use their wonderful luminescence to warn potential predators that they are toxic to eat. This tactic is known as warning colouration and is common within the insect world. What is a sting?…
Female cicada killers do have a stinger, which they use to paralyse their prey, cicadas. Yet these solitary wasps are not aggressive to humans and will only sting you if you accidentally step on them or squash them. What is…
Fireflies are a type of beetle, and like all beetles they start their life as a larva that hatches from an egg. The larvae spend their time hunting tasty slugs and snails until the day they become an adult. What…
