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Insects

The broad-tailed hummingbird uses its fiery throat feathers, called a gorget, to attract a mate.

Smithsonian Voices

From Aerial Acrobatics to Sexual Deception, See Eight of Nature’s Wildest Mating Rituals

Some species have developed unusual rituals to show off their prowess as a potential mate

Female Mediterranean field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) crickets can tell male cricket qualities and fitness through their courtship songs.

Noise Pollution Interrupts Crickets’ Sex Lives

Anthropogenic noise is affecting the female cricket’s ability to hear the male’s courting song

The study analyzes thousands of records to understand how many species of bees are spotted by scientists each year.

New Research

Thousands of Wild Bee Species Haven’t Been Seen Since 1990

Between 2006 and 2015, researchers worldwide observed 25 percent fewer bee species than they had before 1990

Catnip and a plant called silver vine, Actinidia polygama, are not closely related, but both make cats go wild.

Felines May Use Catnip for More Than Just Euphoria

The plant may keep pesky mosquitos away

Female springbok mantises will fight against males who want to mate

Male Mantises Wrestle to Escape Cannibalistic Females

Mating is not so romantic for these insects

Silver-washed fritillary butterfly

New Research

Study Reveals the Secrets of Butterfly Flight

The fluttering insects create tiny jets of air by clapping their flexible wings together, which may help them evade predators

The fossil of Aphelicophontes danjuddi, a new genus and species of assassin bug, accompanied by the fossil of a small beetle

Ancient Insect Genitals Found in 50-Million-Year-Old Fossil

A newly discovered assassin bug features a well-preserved phallus the size of a grain of rice

North American species like the Colorado potato beetle and the fall armyworm have become invasive elsewhere.

Ask Smithsonian

Have Any North American Species Become Invasive Elsewhere in the World?

You’ve got question. We’ve got experts

A dung beetle rolls its meal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

How Dung Beetles Roll Their Food in a Straight Line

As they craft their humble lives from piles of manure, the insects look to the skies for direction

One specimen of the ultra-black fish species Anoplogaster cornuta.

Innovation for Good

Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2020 That May Lead to New Inventions

From soaring snakes to surfing suckerfish, nature is an endless source of inspiration

Though several animal species like chimps, crows and elephants have been documented using tools, it's pretty rare in the insect world.

New Research

To Compete With the Big Guys, Tiny Crickets Fashion Leafy Megaphones to Blast Their Mating Calls

Using leaves can make male crickets’ calls three times louder, upping their chances of attracting a female

Asian honey bees applying animal feces at the entrance of their hives to ward off attacks from hornets.

New Research

Asian Bees Plaster Hives With Feces to Defend Against Hornet Attacks

Researchers say the surprising behavior could constitute tool use, which would be a first for honey bees

A keyhole wasp can block up an airplane's external sensor in as little as 30 minutes.

New Research

In Australia, Just One Wasp Can Ground an Airplane With a Strategically Placed Nest

Invasive keyhole wasps were building nests in the equipment pilots use to measure how fast they’re flying

Monarch butterfly caterpillars will headbutt each other when food is scarce, according to new research.

New Research

Monarch Caterpillars Butt Heads Over Milkweed

A new study finds the colorful butterfly larvae will aggressively lunge at each other in pursuit of an extra mouthful of food

An American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) on a human finger.

New Research

Higher Temperatures Make Some Ticks Pick Humans Over Dogs

The study’s results suggest certain tick-borne diseases could become even more prevalent as climate change heats up the planet

Bee species are more diverse in dry regions where pollen is abundant.

Scientists Create a Buzz With the First Ever Global Map of Bee Species

Most of the insects avoid the tropics and choose treeless environments in arid parts of the world

A view inside the Asian giant hornet nest that Washington State entomologists destroyed last month.

Asian Giant Hornet Nest May Have Contained 200 Queens

Officials say they’ve counted roughly 500 hornets in various stages of development after examining a nest they found and destroyed last month

Pets consume an estimated 26.6 million metric tons of pet food each year, contributing 64 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually.

Kibbles and Bugs? Purina Just Launched Pet Food Made of Fly Larvae

The move is meant to diversify how the company obtains protein for its products

Rattlesnakes can bite after death.

14 Fun Facts About Frightening Animals

From snakes that eat their prey alive to primates that inject their peers with flesh-rotting venom, these are the scariest deeds committed by critters

The ogre-faced spider earns its name from its large eyes and mandibles.

How Ultra-Sensitive Hearing Allows Spiders to Cast a Net on Unsuspecting Prey

Sounds trigger the ogre-faced spider to backflip and shoot a silk trap on other insects

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