Insects are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta.
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21 Facts About Insects
2.
Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae.
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3.
Insects are the most diverse group of animals; they include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms.
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4.
Insects that undergo three-stage metamorphosis lack a pupal stage and adults develop through a series of nymphal stages.
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5.
Insects are the only invertebrate group with members able to achieve sustained powered flight, and all flying insects derive from one common ancestor.
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6.
Insects are mostly solitary, but some, such as certain bees, ants and termites, are social and live in large, well-organized colonies.
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7.
Insects are prey for a variety of organisms, including terrestrial vertebrates.
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8.
Insects were among the earliest terrestrial herbivores and acted as major selection agents on plants.
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9.
Insects have segmented bodies supported by exoskeletons, the hard outer covering made mostly of chitin.
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10.
Insects are the only invertebrates to have developed active flight capability, and this has played an important role in their success.
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11.
Insects using extra-oral digestion expel digestive enzymes onto their food to break it down.
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12.
Insects undergo considerable change in form during the pupal stage, and emerge as adults.
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13.
Insects were the earliest organisms to produce and sense sounds.
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14.
Insects are the only group of invertebrates to have developed flight.
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15.
Insects can adapt their gait to cope with the loss of one or more limbs.
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16.
Insects are mostly soft bodied, fragile and almost defenseless compared to other, larger lifeforms.
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17.
Insects then have a variety of defense strategies to avoid being attacked by predators or parasitoids.
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18.
Insects produce useful substances such as honey, wax, lacquer and silk.
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19.
Insects are used in medicine, for example fly larvae were formerly used to treat wounds to prevent or stop gangrene, as they would only consume dead flesh.
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20.
Insects have a high protein content for their mass, and some authors suggest their potential as a major source of protein in human nutrition.
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21.
Insects are noted for their nutrients, having a high content of protein, minerals and fats and are eaten by one-third of the global population.
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