Life
LET'S EXPLORE Mini-beasts
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Let's explore mini-beasts
Besides mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, there are other kinds of animals that live on land. They are mostly small, and some can fly. Some live in our homes, and some even...
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What is an insect?
Insects are invertebrates, animals without backbones. They have six jointed legs and a hard external skeleton. All insects have three main body parts: the head, the thorax and the...
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A to Z of insect families
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How do beetles live?
Beetles make up the largest group of insects. There are least 400,000 known kinds. There is a huge variety in colours and shapes. All beetles have wings. When they are not in...
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How do honeybees live?
Honeybees live in huge colonies of thousands of bees. The queen is the only bee that lays eggs. The male bees, called drones, do no work, but one will mate with the queen. The...
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How do ants live?
Ants have thin waists, long "elbowed" antennae and two strong jaws, called mandibles. They live in large colonies. An ants’ nest is a maze of tunnels and chambers under the...
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How do termites live?
Termites live in large colonies. Each nest has a single king and queen. They are served by blind workers and soldiers, who feed and protect the colony. Termites live in hot...
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What is the difference between butterflies and moths?
Butterflies fly during the daytime. They usually have antennae shaped like thin stalks. Most moths are night-flyers. Their antennae are usually feathery in shape. The wings of both...
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How do flies and mosquitoes live?
Flies have only one pair of wings, unlike all other insects which have two. Crane flies, gnats and mosquitoes are all kinds of fly. Instead of biting jaws, they have mouthparts...
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Why do spiders spin silk?
Spiders, scorpions and mites are not insects but arachnids. Insects have three pairs of legs and three body sections, while arachnids have four pairs of legs and two body sections...
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How do scorpions live?
Scorpions are types of arachnid. They have two sharp, grasping pincers and a venomous sting at the end of their tail. They use their sting both to paralyse (or kill) their prey and...
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What are mites and ticks?
Mites and ticks are tiny arachnids. They all have two body segments and eight legs. Mites live in soil, water and even inside other animals. Some feed on insects or blood, while...
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What are millipedes and centipedes?
Millipedes and centipedes are not insects, but myriapods. The name means “many legs”. Myriapods have long bodies made up of segments. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body...
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How do woodlice live?
Woodlice are small crustaceans, arthropods that have hard, segmented exoskeletons. They have two pairs of antennae and seven pairs of legs. Some kinds curl up into a ball when they...
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How do earthworms live?
Earthworms are long, thin, soft-bodied invertebrate animals that live in the soil. They have no legs, eyes or ears. Earthworms are shaped like bendy tubes divided into segments...
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How do slugs and snails live?
Slugs and snails are gastropods. This is a group of molluscs that have soft bodies and move about on one large foot. Slugs and snails have two pairs of feelers, called tentacles...
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Mini-beasts glossary