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Why are insects so successful?

There are many theories, but no one knows for sure. One involves insects' ability to fly. Anyone who has watched a housefly land on the ceiling or been mesmerized by the acrobatics of a dragonfly skimming over a pond can appreciate the amazing feats accomplished by insects and their wings. From a practical standpoint, flight allows insects to escape predators and move easily from habitat to habitat in search of food and potential mates.

"But wait!" you say, "If all it takes to be successful are wings, how come we're not overrun with birds and bats?" True, flight by itself probably cannot explain all of insects' success and diversity. Another theory credits the fact that insects are, in general, fairly small. Their small size allows them to occupy a wide range of habitats other animals are unable to take advantage of. Habitats can range from frozen tundra to hot, dry deserts to small, temporary pools of water that collect in plants growing in tropical rainforests -insects live everywhere! Insects' hard, waterproof outer shell or exoskeleton is a major contributor to their ability to live practically anywhere. To some extent, the exoskeleton protects insects from changes in their environment.

In addition to their small size, insects' body structures are incredibly diverse and highly adapted to their environments. For instance, aquatic insects often have gills or other special structures that allow them to breathe underwater.

Insects also feed on almost everything. There are insects that feed on nectar and pollen from plants. There are insects that feed on the leaves of plants that are poisonous to all other animals. Some insects feed on the blood of mammals, while others feed on the feces left behind by those mammals. Like termites, some ants even eat wood. Somewhere out there in the world, there is probably an insect that can eat just about anything you could imagine!

Another important factor that probably contributes to insects' success is their ability to reproduce quickly and in great numbers. Mammals usually have only a few babies at a time whereas many insects can lay from hundreds to thousands of eggs at a time!

So, you see, there are many reasons why insects have become a huge evolutionary success story!

World of Insects

Life without | So many of them | Secrets of their success | Family Tree | Insect orders | Anatomy