Bugs (Look Closer)

ook Closer

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Bugs

A Dorling Kindersley Book

LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, and DELHI

Text by Sue Malyan Editor Fleur Star Senior art editor Janet Allis Publishing manager Susan Leonard Managing art editor Clare Shedden Jacket design Simon Oon Picture researcher Sarah Mills Production Luca Bazzoli DTP Designer Almudena Díaz First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Dorling Kindersley Limited 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL A Penguin Company 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 Copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ISBN 1-4053-1166-5 Colour reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in China by Hung Hing Discover more at

www.dk.com

Contents 6

Spiked with poison

8

Hopping along

10 Flying beetle 12 Deadly sting

Look out for us. We will show you the size of every animal in this book.

14 Fast flier 16 Watch me run 18 Babysitting bugs 20 Flutter, flutter 22 Killer sucker 23 Index and Glossary

d e w k i i t h p p oiso n S

This postman caterpillar may be tiny, but it is heavily armed. Not only is it covered in sharp spines, but its body is full of poison.

ky

spi

6

7

sha

rp

I’ve got 12 eyes, but I can only see if it’s light or dark.

pr

y l k ic

This insect is so small it can disguise itself as bird droppings.

I won’t always be a caterpillar. Soon I will change into a brightly coloured butterfly.

n i n

ibble

b

bl

e

...

ou kno y d w i D

...The caterpillar can only use its first six legs for walking. Its other legs just have suckers for gripping.

8

i n p g a l o ng p o H

This desert locust is still a young hopper. Its wings have not yet formed, so it moves about by hopping.

These are my jaws. I use them like teeth to bite and grind up my food.

I like to be with other hoppers. The more of us there are, the faster we all hop!

9 I make my chirping noise by rubbing my back legs against these hard veins on my wings.

rp chi

p r i ch

chirp

Adult locusts are 6 cm (2 in) long, but there can be 50 billion of them in one swarm.

Look how long and strong my back legs are! I can jump 10 times my own length.

... Locusts are grasshoppers that move in swarms. When a swarm eats, it can ruin whole crops.

...

you know d Di

10

g n b i e y e l t le F

This cardinal beetle has been feeding on the pollen in a flower. When it has finished, it lifts its bright red wing cases, ready to fly off. I can’t fly very fast.

...

ou kno y d w i D ... Birds know that a brightly coloured insect tastes nasty and could even be poisonous.

11 These are my antennae. I use them to feel and to smell.

y m I’ve had

When I’m flying, I lift up my wing cases out of the way of my wings.

m o ’ f I f . , l l i f

Cardinal beetles are 1.4 cm (1⁄2 in) long, but they are easy to spot.

da

12

If you ever spot a scorpion, keep out of its way! The sting on the end of its tail is so poisonous that it could kill you.

I can survive in the desert for months without water and for more than a year without food. Scorpions are deadly but small – just 10 cm (4 in) long.

er ng

d a l e y sting D I inject my poison with this spike.

If I fancy a snack, I grab an insect or a lizard in my two pincers.

you know d Di

...

! o o B

I’ve got four pairs of eyes on top of my head, but I can’t see very well.

13

... The scorpion’s poison makes its victim unable to move. It would kill a person in a few hours.

14

f t l i e s r a F

This dragonfly is taking a rare break, resting on a plant. It spends hours in the air without landing.

My eyes are so big they cover most of my head.

I’m very good at spotting things that move about, like my dinner!

My spiky legs help me to hang on to slippery surfaces.

These veins support my wings.

whir

r whir r

...

ou kno y d w i D

... A dragonfly’s wings beat about 20 times every second. It can hover in the air and even fly backwards.

My beautiful colours help me attract a mate.

This species of dragonfly is a southern hawker. It is 7 cm (2 3⁄4 in) long.

15

16

tch me run a W

My skeleton grows on the outside of my body. It makes a hard, protective case.

twitch

twitch

Scuttling over the hot desert rocks, this ground beetle is chasing a spider. It has long legs and can run really fast as it hunts its prey. My jaws are outside my mouth. I use them to grab my prey and chop it up.

...

you know d Di This kind of ground beetle is called a domino beetle, because of its white spots.

... If it is attacked, the ground beetle squirts its enemy with a liquid that burns.

I can’t fly because my wing cases are stuck together.

t spider a h t s ’ e gon r e h e? W

17

18

s i t y t in g bugs b a B

When most insects lay eggs, they leave them alone. This female parent bug is different. She stays to guard her eggs and defend the young bugs against enemies. We live on birch leaves because they are full of lovely, juicy sap to drink.

Even fully grown parent bugs are just 0.6–0.8 cm (1⁄4 in) long, so it’s easy for lots of babies to fit onto one leaf.

These are my babies. They stay close so that I can protect them.

19

e h c k c u s

ou kno y d w i D ... This bug is a kind of a shield bug. Its folded wings make the shape of a shield.

...

w

slu

rp

I’m looking out for birds who might fancy a bug snack.

20

r , e f t l t u t t u e l r F

With a flutter of red and black wings, a postman butterfly lands on a passion flower, looking for a drink of nectar. This butterfly has large wings for the size of its body. The wings can grow to 8 cm (3 in) across.

flap flut ter

This curled up tube is my proboscis. I use it like a straw to suck up my food.

My wings are covered with scales.

21

...

you know d Di

de -d o

wn

... Female postman butterflies lay up to 500 eggs, but only a few of them survive to be adults.

u

i s p

My black and red colours show that I am poisonous. Birds soon learn to leave me alone.

Mmm, passion flower - my favourite!

22

s u r c e l k l i er K

My yellow fur shows that I’m a male. Females are grey.

Dung flies are always on the lookout for animal poo, because that’s where they lay their eggs.

u z b zzz z z z u buzz b I’ve got a big mouth! It’s great for sucking up liquid.

These tiny flies are less than 1 cm (1⁄2 in) long.

...

ou kno y d w Di ... A dung fly eats insects. It kills its prey by biting it in the neck, and sucks the liquid out of its body.

Index antennae 11 cardinal beetle 10-11 desert 12, 16 desert locust 8-9 dragonfly 14-15 dung fly 22-23 eggs 18, 20, 22 eyes 7, 13, 14 grasshopper 9 ground beetle 16-17 jaws 8, 16 legs 7, 10, 14, 16

23

mouth 16, 22 parent bug 18-19 poison 6, 10, 12, 13, 21 postman butterfly 7, 20-21 postman caterpillar 6-7 proboscis 20 scorpion 12-13 skeleton 16 suckers 7 wing case 11, 17 wings 8, 9, 11, 15, 20

Glossary antennae a pair of feelers that

proboscis a tube-like

a creature uses to sense where it is or to find food. Some insects also use them to smell with.

mouthpart used by some insects to suck up liquid food.

nectar a sweet liquid found in many flowers.

poison a liquid or other substance that kills or harms an animal if the animal touches or eats it.

prey creatures an animal hunts for food.

suckers cup-shaped pads that stick to surfaces, helping a creature to grip.

swarm a large group of bugs, such as locusts, that come together to eat or find a new home. wing case a protective cover that some insects have over their wings.