9 Aug 2024

Critter of the Week: Globular springtails

From Afternoons, 3:35 pm on 9 August 2024

Some critters are born athletes: the globular springtails (Dicyrtoma spp.) are the gymnasts of the invertebrate world. They can perform an incredible 370 flips per second as they somersault through the air to escape predators. And their vault is the equivalent of us leaping to six floors from a stationary position.

Globular springtails (Dicyrtoma spp.)

Photo: Alexis, some rights reserved (CC BY)

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