Pattern play by Termites

In north-eastern Brazil, termite mounds are found in excess and due to termite foraging, they create an optimal hexagonal pattern such that every dirt mound has on average three to six neighbours. The general reason behind the formation of hexagonal patterning of termite mounds is...Read more!

Treehopper Analogue of Lady Gaga

Interestingly, the 2nd insect discovery of Brendan Morris (PhD at University of Illinois) shares its name with the pop diva Lady Gaga herself. The Lady Gaga bug, now known as Kaikaia gaga, is...Read more!

Effects of Urbanisation on Arthropod Communities

Records of extinction due to deforestation are underreported since most of the smaller animals and plants have not been discovered and studied yet. Many plant and animal species have adapted to live in urban areas along with human civilizations but not efficiently. Changes in habitat would affect...Read more!

Effects of bubbling behaviour in insects

Even though this behaviour is termed as bubbling, they actually regurgitate a droplet and not a bubble which is hollow and contains air unlike a droplet. Why do they do that? To look cool?...Read this article to know why!

War Of Voices

For example, many members of the family Saturniidae (silk or emperor moths) have long, twisted tails. Studies have shown that these twisted tails are useful in deflecting bat sound waves in a different direction. This allows the moths to fool the bats about their presence... Read more!

The Biological Big-Bang

Semelparity, coined by evolutionary biologist Lamont Cole, refers to the reproductive strategy that limits the organism to a single reproductive cycle and invests all of its resources in a single group of offspring, also called the big bang reproduction, since semelparous species often produce a large number of offspring [1]. It is usually favored when... Read more!

Cyborg Insects

It may seem weird to the readers, but the researchers have been working, since the 1990s, manipulating beetles, moths, and even spiders, turning them into insect-computer hybrid robots... Read more!

Apis mellifera- An astounding and venomous creature!

lethal and toxic bee venom of Apis mellifera is thus known as Apitoxin. But what causes such deadly symptoms? The main components of Apitoxin are ... Read more!

The World From A Dragonfly’s Eyes

One of the most fascinating members of class Insecta, the dragonflies, are said to have the best vision in the whole animal kingdom. It is considered that dragonflies can see the colours that are beyond human visual capabilities, which means that these creatures can see the UV light too!

Insect Microbiome: Comprehending the Physiology and Behaviour

It has been estimated that the insect gut contains ten times more microbes than the total cells of the insect and 100 fold more microbial genes than animal genes. Some insect species have a much more diverse microbiota as compared to other species...

Spider vs. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Web Slinger

It’s hard to fathom but all the amazing powers that the fictional superhero possesses are inspired by a real-life species of the arachnids: the spider! What makes him a hero is nothing but a radioactive spider, no matter which iteration from the comics you pick up...

Life Of A Day

You might have heard about some insects (especially mayflies) having life spans as short as just one day. You might think about how they can live for just a day and complete all the tasks that life gives; tasks like growing, becoming an adult, reproducing, etc.

Camouflage: A strategy for survival

If we look into the Oxford dictionary for the meaning of camouflage we will get: “the way in which an animal’s colour or shape matches what is around or near it and makes it difficult to see”. They use it as a defensive mechanism as well as an offensive mechanism.

Cancer And Its Prevelence in Arthopods

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in humans. But are there any pieces of evidence of cancerous growths in arthropods? Do the most diverse group of creatures on earth suffer from tumorous growths too? Let’s find out.

Why And How Ants Move In Queues?

We have all seen the ants walking along a line towards a food source. But have you thought about how they could be so precise in their movement? Are there any traffic ants or road maker ants that make sure that ants walk in a designated path? They sure don’t have GPS to navigate their way around.

Evolution Of Insect Wings

Vertebrates are often attributed for their ability to fly: birds, mammals (bats), and other animals all took to the skies, with modified forelimbs serving as wings. But, spare a thought for insects, which evolved flight only once and...

Communication in Insects

For humans, it is easier to communicate with each other. We have different languages which we speak and sometimes translate so that people from other countries can also understand.

Why Do Scorpions Glow Under UV Light ?

Have you ever seen a scorpion under moonlight or UV light? Do you know that these magnificent creatures glow in blue-green color?

Wiggle-waggle for survival

While peacocks are known for their bonnie dance, these peacock spiders are known for hokey pokey dance showing off their stylish fans. Both perform to please the females,

The Termite Mound

Can you imagine that a termite, which is barely the size of a fingernail, when coming together in a million or two, can build mounds that can reach a height of 17 feet or even more!? Termites live in big social colonies which include kings, queens, workers, and soldiers.

Social Insects And Pandemics

Pandemic, a word which we all are familiar with now. Pandemics have happened as early as 3000 BC (of which we have a record of). Humans know how to prevent and treat diseases.

Spider- A Layperson’s Insect

'Is a spider an insect?' Most of us, if asked, will answer yes. But is the answer correct? Let us try to find out. The word insect stems from the Latin word insectum,

The Bee Dance

If you are a keen observer, then you must have seen honey bees (Apis sp.) waggling around. Ever wondered, what is the reason behind this? Is it just for fun? Or are the bees really inspired by Michael Jackson!? Well, these little creatures are much ...

Ants that Love Electronics

Yes, you read the title right! These ants, or to be precise, Raspberry Crazy Ants, seems to be attracted to electrical equipments. Nylanderia fulva which is an ant found in South America is not called “crazy” due to their weird infatuation for our gadgets, but because of their random, nonlinear movements...

How Cockroaches Can Live Without Head ?

To most of the people out there, cockroaches are already very revulsive and creepy organisms. After knowing the fact that it can live for several days without a head, it definitely makes one’s skin...

The Beautiful Dragon

"Dragonflies hunt insects with great precision and have a 95% success rate and can eat 30 flies in a row," says Dr. Stacey Combes studying Dragonfly biomechanics at Harvard.

Evolution Of Metamorphosis

It is now known for over 400 years how various animals undergo adverse physical changes during their life, how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly, and a tadpole into a frog. Metamorphosis , the process by which an animal develops after birth or hatching and goes through...

Bioluminescence In Fireflies

Ever wondered why and how a Firefly(lightning bug) is able to light up?? Is it to scare away predators? or to communicate with its peers? or to produce heat for keeping itself warm? In this article we have covered answers to all such questions and more...