As a result of evolution, many species of insects have acquired such quality as rapid movement. For many, this is due to nutritional conditions, for some it is a habitual way of life, and for others it is simply vital for salvation from natural enemies.
There are high-speed champions, both among insects moving around the earth and among flying ones, and in our small entomological study we find out which insect is the fastest on our big planet.
1
Locust
The word locust came to the Russian language from the ancient Turkic, and literally means “yellow”, “yellowish”. These hordes of ruthless pests in a few hours can destroy the crop and cause irreparable harm to agriculture.
But in search of food, the locust moves at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, and doing so in huge flocks and over very long distances.
This insect lives almost all over the planet, except perhaps in very cold areas.
2
Flea
This type of insect belongs to the category of wingless, and fleas move in jumps. So the speed of movement during the jump is 6.9 km / h. Thus, a flea is the fastest insect in the world of parasitic creatures.
In addition to jumping fleas, excellent "runners" are also in animal hair. The huge speed of movement makes them invisible and elusive.
For information, we also note that to date, scientists have openly and described 2,086 species of fleas, including four species that have already become extinct.
3
Water striders
Insects belong to the suborder of bedbugs, and live in water bodies. The tips of the paws of the water strips are covered with hairs that do not get wet when in contact with water, which allows the insect to quickly glide on the surface of the water, and this is the fastest insect in the world among those moving on water.
The speed of water strikers averages 4 km / h. Insects also use this ability to not sink in water when feeding, when other small insects get stuck in water.
4
Hornet
This type of insect is not only one of the largest among flying public wasps, but also a record holder for flight speed. The speed of movement through the air sometimes reaches 25 kilometers an hour.
First of all, this is due to the lifestyle of hornets that prey on smaller insects. But the main food is still nectar, in search of which they fly long distances.
Their bite is toxic, therefore it is quite dangerous for a person, very painful and can cause allergic reactions.
5
Hawker
In a beautiful family of butterflies, it’s the hawk that can reach speeds of up to 54 kilometers per hour, which makes it the leader among lepidopterans.
The hawk lifestyle led to the development of such an amazing ability. In addition, eating nectar, these butterflies hang for a long time over the flowers.
In addition to these qualities, they play a huge role in pollination, since a large amount of pollen is collected for a long proboscis at the time of feeding.
6
Bee
The bee that is capable of flying at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour is rightfully included in the list of high-speed insects on Earth. Due to the fact that a bee collects nectar as much as it weighs in one flight, the speed with the “load” drops to 30 kilometers per hour.
These are real workers, because to collect 1 kilogram of nectar, a bee makes 1,500 flights from the hive, winding up to 450 thousand kilometers.
Here nature rewarded bees with high speed in order to at least somehow reduce the time of the working day.
7
Gadgets
This type of insect flies at a speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour only during the mating season, otherwise the speed of their movement through the air is much lower.
Like many other representatives of dipterous creatures, horseflies are one of the oldest inhabitants of the Earth. These rather large flies settled on all continents except Antarctica.
Their bite is dangerous for animals and for humans, as horseflies are carriers of many dangerous diseases.
8
Racehorse
But the ground-breaking record in the short-distance running is the race-beetle, developing a speed of up to 7.2 km / h.
This ability was developed due to the threat of being eaten by birds and other natural enemies. It can also escape from predators, quickly flying from a dangerous place.
The fast beetle is useful, it eats the main pests of gardens and orchards, destroying up to 400 harmful insects during the summer.
9
Cockroaches
Of the entire family of insects running on the ground, cockroaches are the fastest land insects. The fastest movement was recorded in 1991, when a cockroach of the species Periplaneta americana ran at a speed of 5.4 kilometers per hour.
For comparison, we note that in a second the cockroach overcomes a distance equal to 50 lengths of its body. If we apply such an indicator to a person, then our speed would be equal to 330-400 kilometers per hour.
In addition, this is one of the oldest inhabitants of our planet, and scientists claim that they are able to survive after a nuclear war.
10
Dragonfly
Dragonfly is not only the fastest flying insect, but also among all the insects of the planet the record for speed of movement. Some species of dragonflies can reach speeds of 95 kilometers per hour.
Long observations of dragonflies helped to find out that dragonflies are not chasing their victims, but ahead of it. They find themselves where the intended victim will fly in a few moments.
In this way dragonflies “intercept” and provide themselves with food, and most importantly they have developed a high flight speed.
As you can see, the fastest insect in the world will give odds not only to humans, but also to many representatives of the animal world. The ability to move quickly helps them maintain their population in the most difficult conditions of the struggle for survival.
Article author: Valery Skiba