Like an arrow: Jumping insects use archery techniques
Thursday, October 2, 2008 - 09:14
in Paleontology & Archaeology
An adult froghopper. Froghoppers, also known as spittlebugs, are the champion insect jumpers, capable of reaching heights of 700 mm - more than 100 times their own body length. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Biology reveals that they achieve their prowess by flexing bow-like structures between their hind legs and wings and releasing the energy in one giant leap in a catapult-like action.