Other editions of book What is an Insect?

What makes an insect an insect? Is it a very small, many-legged creature that flies? That's a good way to describe some insects, but others, such as ants, never take to the air at all. And just how many legs do insects have? A beetle has six legs and spider has eight--are these both insects? Knowing whether or not an animal is an insect can be tricky, but What is an Insect? makes solving the puzzle fascinating and fun.

Think of the sturdy cockroach or the elegant dragongly-they are both insects. Consider a caterpillar-it doesn't look anything like the butterfly it will become, but it too is an insect. The answer to the question What is an Insect? is not as simple as it seems. So waht exactly is it what defines an insect? This book has the answer. IT explains what insects have in common with each other and what makes them different form other types of animals.