Bugs

Look Closer
o o
A Dorling Kindersley Book
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 Daz
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
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH,
MELBOURNE, and DELHI
Contents
Look out for us. We will
show you the size of every
animal in this book.
6 Spiked with
poison
8 Hopping along
10 Flying beetle
12 Deadly sting
14 Fast flier
16 Watch me run
18 Babysitting bugs
20 Flutter, flutter
22 Killer sucker
23 Index and
Glossary
S
p
i
k
e
d
w
i
t
h
p
o
iso
n
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.
6
s
p
i
k
y
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
This insect is so small it
can disguise itself as
bird droppings.
...The caterpillar
can only use its first
six legs for walking.
Its other legs just
have suckers for
gripping.
7
n
i
b
b l e
n
i
b
b
l
e
Ive got 12 eyes, but
I can only see if its
light or dark.
I wont always be a
caterpillar. Soon I will
change into a brightly
coloured butterfly.
p
r
i c
k
l
y
s
h
a
r
p
H
o
p
p
in
g
a
l
o
n
g
This desert locust is
still a young hopper.
Its wings have not yet
formed, so it moves
about by hopping.
8
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!
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
Adult
locusts are
6 cm (2 in)
long, but
there can be
50 billion of
them in one
swarm.
... Locusts are
grasshoppers that
move in swarms.
When a swarm
eats, it can ruin
whole crops.
9
I make my chirping noise
by rubbing my back legs
against these hard veins
on my wings.
Look how long and strong
my back legs are! I can jump
10 times my own length.
c
h
i
r
p
c
h
ir
p
c
h
i
r
p
F
l
y
i
n
g
b
e
e
t
l
e
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.
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
... Birds know that
a brightly coloured
insect tastes nasty
and could even be
poisonous.
10
I cant fly
very fast.
These are my antennae.
I use them to feel and
to smell.
Cardinal beetles are
1.4 cm (
1
2 in) long, but
they are easy
to spot.
11
When Im flying,
I lift up my wing
cases out of the
way of my wings.
I
v
e h
a
d
m
y
f
i
l
l
,
I

m o
f
f
.
D
e
ad
l
y
s
tin
g
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.
Scorpions
are deadly
but small
just 10 cm
(4 in) long.
12
I can survive in the desert
for months without water
and for more than a year
without food.
d
a
n
g
e
r
I inject my
poison with
this spike.
Ive got four pairs of
eyes on top of my
head, but I cant
see very well.
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
... The scorpions
poison makes its
victim unable to
move. It would kill
a person in a few
hours.
13
If I fancy a snack, I grab
an insect or a lizard in
my two pincers.
B
o
o
!
F
a
s
t fl
i
e
r
This dragonfly is taking
a rare break, resting
on a plant. It spends
hours in the air
without landing.
My spiky legs help
me to hang on to
slippery surfaces.
14
Im very good
at spotting
things that
move about,
like my dinner!
My eyes are so big
they cover most
of my head.
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
This species
of dragonfly is
a southern hawker.
It is 7 cm
(2
3
4 in) long.
... A dragonflys
wings beat about 20
times every second.
It can hover in the
air and even fly
backwards.
15
w
h
i
r
r
w
h
i
r
r
These veins support
my wings.
My beautiful
colours help me
attract a mate.
W
a
t
c
h
m
e
r
u
n
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.
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
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.
16
My skeleton grows
on the outside of my
body. It makes a hard,
protective case.
t
w
i
t
c
h
t
w
i
t
c
h
17
I cant fly because
my wing cases are
stuck together.
W
h
e
r
e

s
t
h
at sp
i
d
e
r
g
o
n
e
?
B
a
b
y
sit
t
i
n
g
b
u
g
s
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.
These are my
babies. They
stay close so
that I can
protect them.
Even fully
grown parent bugs
are just 0.60.8 cm
(
1
4 in) long, so
its easy for lots
of babies to fit
onto one leaf.
18
We live on birch leaves
because they are full of
lovely, juicy sap to drink.
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
... This bug is a
kind of a shield
bug. Its folded
wings make the
shape of
a shield.
19
Im looking out for
birds who might
fancy a bug snack.
s
u
c
k
c
h
e
w
s
l
u
r
p
With a flutter of red and
black wings, a postman
butterfly lands on a
passion flower, looking
for a drink of nectar.
This curled up tube
is my proboscis. I use
it like a straw to
suck up my food.
This butterfly
has large wings for
the size of its
body. The
wings can
grow to 8 cm
(3 in) across.
20
My wings are
covered with scales.
f
l
a
p
f
l
u
t
t
e
r
F
l
u
t
t
er,
f
l
u
t
t
e
r
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
... Female
postman butterflies
lay up to 500 eggs,
but only a few of
them survive to
be adults.
21
My black and red
colours show that
I am poisonous.
Birds soon learn
to leave me alone.
u
p
s
i
d
e
-
d
o
w
n
Mmm, passion
flower - my
favourite!
K
i
l
l
e
r
s
u
c
k
e
r
Dung flies are always
on the lookout for
animal poo,
because thats
where they
lay their
eggs.
22
Ive got a big
mouth! Its great for
sucking up liquid.
My yellow fur shows
that Im a male.
Females are grey.
These tiny flies
are less than
1 cm (
1
2 in)
long.
b
u
zz
b
u
z
z
b
uz
z
z
z
z
D
i
d
y
o
u
k
n
o
w
.
.
.
... A dung fly eats
insects. It kills its
prey by biting it in
the neck, and sucks
the liquid out of
its body.
23
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
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
a creature uses to sense where
it is or to find food. Some
insects also use them to
smell with.
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.
proboscis a tube-like
mouthpart used by some insects
to suck up liquid 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.
Index