Bugs Are Insects

Bugs Are Insects

There are many kinds of insects livingall around us. Ants are insects. So are crickets and mosquitoes. So are butterflies and bees.

Insects come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. They don't all look alike, but there's a way to tell if somethingis an insect. Count its legs. Count howmany parts make up its body.

Is a ladybug an insect? All insects have external skeletons. You have a hard skeleton inside, withparts that move. Your skeleton holds youup and helps give your body its shape. But an insect has a hard skeleton onthe outside, wih parts that move. Theskeleton is like a shell around its body. It holds the insect up and gives its bodyits shape. A ladybug has an external skeleton. Does that mean it's an insect?

Maybe not. All insects have external skeletons, but not all animals with external skeletons areinsects. Crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and scorpionshave external skeletons too, but they are not insects.

Many insects have two pairsof wings and a pair of antennae. Sometimes the antennae are long, like those of crickets or butterflies. Sometimes they are short, like those of beetles,