There are many different special tricks used to aid animals in flight. From dynamic soaring to gliding, animals have found numerous ways to get airborne. One trick in particular is whats called “clap-flinging.” It is a trick primarily used by insects, especially small ones, to increase lift during take-off. Without it they could not gain […]
There are many species of the hoverfly, about 6,000 in fact. The hoverfly is also referred to as the flower fly, or the syrphid fly, but also has many other common names, which are derived from their behavior of hovering around flowers. Hoverflies typically have black and yellow stripes, much like bees, and wasps as […]
There are over a million different species of insects living on earth today. They are some of the oldest and most widespread animals on the planet. For hundreds of years, insects have been notorious for eating our food and carrying deadly diseases. What some people do not know is that they also help keep our […]
Beware all fish, the mighty Kingfisher has set its sights onto you! There are over 90 species in the kingfisher family and in general they all have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, stubby tails, and short legs. All kingfishers have binocular-like vision with restricted eye movement, which allows for tracking fish underwater. Kingfishers are able […]
When was the last time you thanked your inner ear? Probably not after riding a roller coaster or getting carsick, but what we sometimes curse and so often take for granted is nonexistent in insects such as flies. Flies lack the fluid in their head that helps us determine up from down, and yet, they still manage to […]