Smallest Insect: Fairyfly

The smallest known insect is the Fairyfly, or Megaphragma caribea, found in the island of Guadeloupe. However, don’t get fooled by the name. This insect is actually a parasitic wasp! It measures just 0.1 millimetres! That’s small enough to fly through the eye of a needle.

Largest Insect: Acteon Beetle

There are many ways to define “largest”. Most people, however, consider “largest” as “bulkiest”. In this case, the largest insect is the Acteon Beetle of South America. The male can grow to up to 9 centimetres in length.

Fastest Moving Jaws: Trap Jaw Ants

This species of ants, found in Central and South America, have more impressive jaws than those of the renowned white shark himself. These ants fire their jaws at such high speed that when they come in contact with a hard surface, the ant will be propelled in the air!

Scientists have timed the speed at which these ants open and close their mandibles: up to 233 kilometres per hour! This is the fastest self powered strike in the animal kingdom.

Loudest Insect: African Cicada

The male African Cicada is the loudest insect. To attract females, this locust rubs its forewings against each other, reaching a noise of 107 decibels, which is as loud as a road drill. Its call can be heard a quarter of mile away. That’s equal to four football fields!

Most “Destructive” Insect: Desert Locust

The desert locust’s habitat ranges from Africa to the Middle East, in dry or semi-dry regions. This grasshopper eats its own weight in food every day, and, during migration, a large swarm can consume nearly 20 000 tons of vegetation!

Fastest Insect: Dragonflies

Have you ever tried running after a dragonfly? If you have, you’ll probably know how hard it is to catch one. This is because they’re the world’s fastest insects! Dragonflies can reach a speed of nearly 100 kilometres per hour. One of the fastest species of dragonflies is the Common Green Dragonfly (pictured above).