It’s An Arthropod’s World
By Julia A. Keirns
Do you know what an arthropod is? Arthropods are the largest group of animals in the entire world. There are more arthropods on earth than humans. They have been on earth longer than man. They live in every region of the world, under any conditions, and will probably be here long after man is gone.
The Arthropod group is divided into several classes: Insects (flies, bees, wasps, and ants), Crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, and shrimp), Arachnids (spiders, mites, and ticks), Centipedes, and Millipedes.
Arthropods are invertebrate animals that have an external skeleton and jointed legs. Spiders and insects are the more common ones we see every day. Insects alone outnumber man by a ratio of 200 million to one. That means that for every one human being there are 200 million insects. Just imagine walking out your back door on a spring evening and being bombarded by 200 million insects!
It is definitely an arthropod’s world. They have figured out how to survive in some of the dirtiest, germ infested places you could ever imagine. The larvae of the tiny fly live in pools of crude oil and houseflies lay their eggs in piles of manure.
Arthropods have mastered every inch of land as well as the water. Every pond, lake and ocean is home to many different kinds of arthropods. Mosquito larvae live in ponds. Water mites and water bugs live in pools and ponds. Crabs, lobsters, and shrimp inhabit the seas and oceans. The king crab alone has survived on this planet, unchanged for over 160 million years.
Arthropods have been found from the deepest depths of the ocean, to thousands of feet in the air on top of mountains. They live in the ground, above the ground, in the air, in the water, under ice, in hot springs, and even on humans and animals. Ticks, lice, and fleas are a few which need humans and animals to survive.
Yes, it is definitely an arthropod’s world. They are man’s chief competitors for life on earth. Some arthropods benefit man. They are not all a nuisance. Crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are a major source of food. Honey bees make honey. Ladybugs eat unwanted parasites on plants and crops. Mosquitoes and flies are a nuisance though because they carry and spread various diseases. Certain beetles are destructive to vegetation plants by feeding on the roots. And of course, most of us do not like ticks, lice or fleas.
There are hundreds of reasons why arthropods are a nuisance to man, but what would a summer night be without the singing of the crickets, the songs of the locust, catching lightning bugs in a jar, or watching the beautiful flight of a butterfly?
Yes, some have said it is a man’s world, but I think it is an arthropod’s world. Don’t you?
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Storybird review – “What a cute and informative story! Insects are very important to the world, and you did a great job helping us learn about them. Nice work!” Reviewed by kimberlythesecond