The fastest insect in the world.

Perhaps you have ever had a question, what is the fastest insect in the world? It's an Australian dragonfly! In order to survive and skillfully escape from enemies, the Australian dragonfly uses its wings. It can reach a speed of 58 km/h. There was even a record recorded for this dragonfly, whose maximum speed was 100 km/h. Such speed can be achieved by flapping the wings a hundred times in one second! This is incredible!

This unique ability of the Australian dragonfly is achieved due to its special device flywheel apparatus. To ensure their flight, ordinary dragonflies alternately flap their front and rear pairs of wings. The Australian dragonfly flaps all its wings simultaneously to reach top speed!

Thus, Australian dragonfly- This is the fastest insect.

Life activity of the Australian dragonfly.

All dragonflies are predators, and Australian dragonflies are no exception. They feed on mosquitoes, midges and other harmful insects, grabbing them in flight. In order to navigate in space as well as possible, nature awarded the Australian dragonfly with unusual eyes. Their peculiarity is that each eye consists of a large number of facets, the upper ones distinguishing shape, and the lower ones distinguishing colors.

The females of the Australian dragonfly are quite cunning, so that the males do not distract them from the important task of laying eggs, they can imitate their colors. Eggs are laid in water or aquatic plants, very rarely - into damp soil.

It turns out that the larvae of the Australian dragonfly are also predators by nature; they feed on the larvae of aquatic insects. Also, the larvae of the Australian dragonfly often become food for fish. After the larva “grows” it attaches itself to plants or to uneven soil.

Among the animals the most high speed A cheetah can reach speeds of up to 130 km per hour! At short distances it will easily overtake a car. In the water, no one can compete with the sailfish, which covers 110 km in one hour. The peregrine falcon, a bird of prey, rushes at a speed of 350 km per hour when diving. What are the fastest insects you know? They will be discussed in the article.

Australian dragonfly

During scientific research entomologists have found out which is the fastest insect on our planet. This is the Australian dragonfly, or Austrophlebia costalis. For large sizes she is often called " south rocker". In one hour of flight, it covers at least 60 km! This achievement is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Some scientists claim that the dragonfly is capable of flying at a speed of 100 km/h, but so far there is no documentary evidence of this theory.

How does the Australian dragonfly fly? This is the fastest insect on Earth, flapping its wings 100-150 times in one second. When she needs maneuverability in pursuit of prey, she flaps her hind and front wings alternately, and to develop super speed, she flaps them simultaneously. It is known that dragonflies are capable of covering enormous distances, moving more than a thousand kilometers from home.

What other fastest insects live in our world? Read about them further.

Honey bee

Like a dragonfly, a bee can fly at a speed of 60 km per hour. But she often flies with nectar, which weighs as much as one insect. With a full honey ventricle, the worker bee already flies at a speed of 30-33 km per hour, which is why it ranks second in the “Fastest Insects” rating.

But in terms of the distance that a bee can cover, it is far ahead of a dragonfly: to produce just 1 kg of honey, an insect flies at least 450 thousand km, which is about 10 Earth equators!

American cockroach

Periplaneta americana, or the American cockroach, occupies third position in our ranking. He is the fastest runner among insects. In 1991, this red-haired creature was recorded to move at a speed of 5.4 km/h. Not impressive? But if you recalculate the cockroach’s speed in relation to human standards, it turns out that having the height of an average man, Periplaneta americana would move at a speed of 350 km/h! And a cockroach can change the direction of its run 25 times in just one second.

This is the fastest land insect and also the most tenacious. A cockroach is capable of not eating for a month and not drinking for 8-10 days without harming itself, holding its breath for 45 minutes, but the most amazing thing is that it can live without a head, while dying of hunger! Another amazing fact is that after one mating, the female is able to retain the seed inside herself, later being fertilized on her own several more times.

For comparison: a person can withstand up to 500 units of radiation exposure, other living beings - from 350 to 1500, but the red cockroach can easily withstand 6500 units. This means that after nuclear war There will only be cockroaches left on Earth...

Jumping beetle

These beetles are distributed almost throughout the planet. They have an elongated body 10-40 mm long; only the genus Manticore, which lives in Africa, reaches a length of 70 mm. The color can also be different - bright green, spotted, black. Jumping beetles are distinguished by large eyes, long antennae, and most importantly, thin high legs, on which they run very fast. Actual speed Their movement is 7.5 km/h, so prey rarely escapes from these predators. Scientists have calculated that if these fastest insects were the size of a person, they would easily cover 300 km in an hour (slightly less than red cockroaches). Also, jumping beetles fly well, developing quite high speeds over short distances.

Horsefly

This large, fleshy fly with large wings and simply huge eyes ranks fifth among record-breaking insects in terms of speed. It flies very quickly, covering 50-55 km in an hour. Horseflies are amazingly hardy, easily adapt to even the most unfavorable living conditions, and they are also very voracious - one individual drinks at a time as much blood as 70 mosquitoes can handle.

Other record holders

This is what the top 5 fastest insects in the world look like. But there are other representatives that move on land or fly through the air very quickly. For example:

• hawkmoth butterflies in flight reach a speed of 45-50 km/h, they are also able to hover motionlessly over a flower for a long time, sucking nectar from it with their proboscis;
• Hornets cover 25-28 km in an hour;
• water striders run on the surface of the water at a speed of 4 km per hour, while their paws remain completely dry! Another mystery of nature;
• fleas - these nasty insects move by jumping at a speed of 6 km per hour;
• locusts - in search of food, they cover 20 km or more in an hour.

Now you know what the fastest insects live in the world, what features they differ from.

The maximum flight speed is characteristic of insects such as dragonflies, hawk moths and higher flies. But even among the land forces there are their own record holders. They can move with lightning speed who plays for them huge role. For some species, fast movement helps them feed themselves, while others help them escape from other predators and avoid becoming their dinner.

Presented to the attention of readers fastest insects in the world- top 10.

Capable of reaching speeds of up to 20 km/h in search of food. Thanks to this factor, it is included in the list of the fastest insects. When there is an abundance of food, the insect leads a solitary lifestyle, but when there is a shortage of food, it forms huge colonies (numbering tens of millions of individuals), which begin an active search for areas rich in food. Colonies make high-speed flights mainly in the morning or evening, over distances of up to 100 km.

They are considered the fastest insects that live on the surface of the water. The average speed of movement across a body of water is 4 km/h. Water striders easily glide across the surface of ponds and streams as if on ice. How do they manage to “walk on water” and remain completely dry? A detailed study of the surface of the legs of water striders provides a surprising answer. Many insects stick to the surface of water when they touch it, and water striders' feet are covered with wax and thousands of fluffy tiny hairs, known as microhairs, that trap air and form a floating cushion.

One of the fastest flying insects in the world with a maximum flight speed of up to 25 km/h. Its main food, which it is constantly in search of, is nectar and plant foods rich in sugar. Adults also hunt many insects, which they kill with their stingers and powerful jaws. Due to their size and strength of poison, hornets without special effort capable of killing fairly large insects, including bees, grasshoppers, wasps and locusts. The victim is completely chewed, but not eaten immediately, but in the form of a suspension is fed to the larvae that develop in the nest. Considering the fact that hornets eat various pests, they can be classified as beneficial insects, although with some reservations.

These are butterflies that are considered the fastest in the world. When flying, lepidopteran insects are capable of reaching speeds of up to 54 km/h. They fly better than all other butterflies. They spend a lot of time in the air, and are able to hover over a flower and suck nectar from the flowers with their long proboscis. Thanks to this, they play an important role in pollinating flowers with deep corollas. They flap their wings very quickly, like hummingbirds, as if they “stand” in the air above a flower, and they are sometimes confused with these birds. Some genera of hawk moths fly during the day.

Bee

The list of the fastest insects in the world rightfully includes. The bee's flight speed is 65 km/h, which is approximately the same as the speed of a car in the city. In one flight, a bee collects almost as much nectar as it weighs. With a full honey ventricle, a bee can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. To collect 1 kg of nectar, a bee will have to make up to 150 thousand flights from the hive. On average, a bee travels up to 3 kilometers in one flight. To produce a kilogram of honey, a bee needs to fly an average of 450 thousand kilometers. This means that the distance a bee flies is similar to the distance it would take to circle the Earth's equator approximately 10 times.

They are considered very fast flying insects, capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h during the mating period. Horseflies inhabit all continents except Antarctica. They are also absent from Iceland, Greenland and some oceanic islands. Largest quantity Horseflies, both in numbers and in the number of species, are found in wetlands, on the boundaries of different ecotopes, and in areas of livestock grazing. Their number only increases from the proximity of humans.

It is one of the fastest among insects, the speed of movement of which can sometimes exceed 2 meters per second. It can be classified as a beneficial insect that destroys pests in gardens and vegetable gardens. One horse can destroy more than 400 harmful insects over the summer. They go hunting in sunny weather. The beetle flies at high speed, but only for short distances. Sensing danger, he instantly rises into the air and, having flown a short distance, falls down. These arthropods can hunt on the fly, but obtain their main food on the ground, chasing insects or larvae. Being one of the fastest runners among his relatives, the hunter easily catches up with the fastest prey. Having grabbed hold of the prey with its powerful jaws, the beetle generously pours gastric juice with digestive enzymes onto it. Under the influence of juice internal organs The caught prey is partially digested, and after some time the fish can only suck out the nutritious gruel.

The fastest runners of all land insects. In 1991, a world record was set: a representative of Periplaneta americana reached a speed of 5.4 km/h or 50 cockroach body lengths per second. If a person ran at such a speed, then there would be no need for cars. In this case, people could reach speeds of up to 330 km/h.

It is considered the fastest insect in the world, which can reach flight speeds of up to 97 km/h. The normal flight speed is 30 km/h. They are classified as predatory insects. When scientists began studying dragonflies in 1999, they learned that dragonflies don't "track" their prey by flying through the air, they "intercept" it. In other words, dragonflies ensure a precise kill of the prey by flying to where the prey will be after some time. This indicates that dragonflies calculate three things when hunting: the distance to their prey, the direction in which it is moving, and the speed at which it is flying. Within milliseconds, the dragonfly calculates the angle from which it should approach, and, like in a horror film, the unfortunate victim is already waiting on the spot, who flies into its claws, without knowing it.

The fastest insects in terms of speed of movement and body size are jumping beetles. They are capable of reaching speeds of up to 2 (!!!) meters per second. If we transfer this speed to the size of a person, then the person would run at a speed of 225 km/h!

Subfamily: Horses

Family: Ground beetles

Class: Insects

Order: Coleoptera

Type: Arthropods

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

Parameter name	Meaning
Jumping beetle size	Depends on the species. Most often 1 - 2 cm. The largest representatives are up to 7 cm.
What does the jumping beetle eat?	Jumping beetles are predators by nature. The favorite food of horses is ants. They can also feed on small invertebrates, mosquitoes, beetles, etc.
Where does the jumping beetle live?	This type beetles can be found almost all over the world, except for the mainland of Antarctica, the island of Tasmania and some other islands in the World Ocean.

Adults of the jumping beetle are capable of flight. Sensing danger, they quickly take off and fly 1-2 meters away. After landing, they observe what scared them. They can catch prey in the air, but most often they easily catch up with it on the ground. They have a very strong jaw. When the victim is clamped in its jaws, the jumping beetle rolls it into a ball and pours gastric juice on it, which dissolves the tough parts of the insect. After this, the beetle eats the softened parts. This type of digestion is called extraintestinal.

Jumping beetle video

Jumping beetles have very long and thin legs, which help them gain such high speed. They are active during the day, and some species are active at night.

Reproduction of the jumping beetle

These beetles reproduce around the beginning of summer. The female lays eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch into a larva. The larva begins to dig tunnels. She conducts her hunt from the hole - only the head remains on the surface - as soon as the insect gets close, the larva attacks it.

Jumping beetle larva:

The larva also spends the winter in a hole. After pupation, the larva develops into an adult insect.

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The animal world is distinguished by the diversity and amazing capabilities of its representatives. Among animals, birds, fish, insects there are real record holders.

Many living creatures are known for their speed of movement, but who is among the five fastest?

The fastest insect

Dragonflies are among the ancient species of winged insects. These predators feed on other insects, often catching them in flight. The Australian dragonfly is the fastest insect in the world, it maintains a flight speed of 39 km/h. While hunting, she sometimes performs miracles of aerobatics. For short distance flights, the speed is 58 km/h.

The Australian dragonfly owes this ability to the structure of its flywheel. The front and rear pairs of wings move simultaneously. A record has been recorded for flapping wings 100 times per second, which provided an insect speed of 100 km/h.

This type of dragonfly is characterized by a long range of non-stop flight: they have been observed in the ocean at a distance of several hundred kilometers from the coast.

Thanks to the ability for such active movement, the insect has spread across all continents.

The fastest artiodactyl animal

The pronghorn antelope, or pronghorn, is the fastest artiodactyl, the only surviving member of the pronghorn family. Many individuals filled the prairie North America. When numbers were halved, the governments of Canada and the United States sounded the alarm. Now the population is recovering.

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Pronghorns live in extremely dry climates and are extremely resilient. The liver of animals constantly accumulates glycogen, which is converted into glucose. The pronghorn body has a good blood supply and uninterrupted breathing. Thanks to these qualities, the antelope develops great speed and easily runs long distances. The maximum speed that the pronghorn develops is 87 km/h. Moving at a speed of 50 km/h, the animal covers a distance of up to 6 km.

Fastest predator

The title of the fastest animal in the world was won by a representative of the feline cheetah. They live in Africa and Asia. The cheetah is a medium-sized animal: the body length is from 1.2 to 1.5 m, the tail length reaches 75 cm, the height at the withers ranges from 65 to 100 cm. The weight of males is no more than 70 kg, females - 40-50 kg. A streamlined, elongated body, strong paws, a small head and a small mass - all this allows the animal to develop extraordinary speed. It is difficult to escape from such a hunter.

Their running speed is still a matter of debate. Alan Wilson's observations of free-ranging animals confirmed data obtained from studies of captive predators. Cheetah accelerates to 100 km/h in a matter of seconds. Even some sports cars are inferior to this cat. While running, the jump length of this record holder is 7 m. It is difficult to notice how the predator pushes off the ground while running. One gets the impression that the cheetah is flying above the ground. The spectacle is impressive! Average length the throw to the victim is 173 m, but sometimes the animal covers a distance of half a kilometer. If necessary, the cheetah abruptly changes its trajectory.

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Fastest fish

Fish that live in the ocean swim much faster than fish that live in the river. Representatives of the sailfish family are considered the fastest. The rapid movement is facilitated by the structural features of these marine predators. They have an elongated, strong body, the upper jaw is shaped like a spear, and there is a long fin on the back that resembles a sail. In the area of ​​the “spear” there is a gland that secretes an oily secretion. The sailboat glides through the water like butter, literally.