Priddy Explorers

RUGS & SLUGS

Fullof fun facts

for curious kids
 Awesome bugs!

Words in bold
are explained
inthe glossary
onpage 27.

Hello, Im Natalia and Im a Pridd Explorer.

Join me in the world of creep-crawlies as we learn

about lots of amazing creatures Are you ready? Lets gol

 Contents
What is a bug?.... ..3
Bug senses... .5
Beautiful beetles ..7
Busy workers.. 9

What is a mollusc?.... ..
11
Super spiders... ....13

Jumping bugs ....15

Busy bees ..17

A wasp's life .18
Wonderful wings .19
Flying bugs .21
Record breakersS.. .23

What have you learned?... 25

Glossary. 27
Index.. 28
.
 What is a bug? Did you know?
Bugs are veryimportant

for our planet Without

Bugs come in all shapes and sizes. They are all
different
thern. some of our plants
invertebrates, which means they do not have backbones. and animals would

disappear altoqether.
Leopard slug
Bugs can be found all over the wNorld,

0
on everu continent and in every climate.
Molluscs
These creatures,
Such as snails, have
Shield bug soft bodies and
Insects move around on
These bugs, Annelids a single foot'.
Such as shield These creatures,
bugs, have Such as wormsS, are
six legs. made of segments Garden
shail
Spider of muscle that
move to help them
Arachnids get around.
These bugs, such as
spiders, have eight legs.

Myriapods
These bugs, such as Centipede
centipedes, have many legs. Earthworm
3
 Hearing
Bug senses Bugs do not have ears, but
they are sensitive tosound.
Bugs have the same senses as we do! Some bugs can even sense
Most bugs would not survive without sound through vibrations.
their antennae becausethey use Did you know?
them for lots of their senses. Spiders, such asjumping spiders

have mulbiple separate eyes to see

from many different anges

Taste
Some bugs, like

butterfies, have taste

Grasshopper
organs on their feet.

Touch Smell
Tortoiseshell butterfly
Bugs use their Bugs donot have noses, So
Sight
antennae to feel the theyuse their super-sensitive
Flieshave compound eyes.
world around them. antennae to pick up smells.
This means each eye is made
up of many smaller 'eyes'
grouped together inside
it.
Wasp
Common fly Jumping spider Colorado beetle 6
 Beautiful Did you know?

beetles The oldest beetle fossil

found was from around

Z70milion years ago

Beetles make up nearl half of all

insect species on Earth. They hatch

from eggs into larvae, which is like a

grub,then later transform into beetles.

Three bod parts:
Two pairs head, thorax and
Beetles cannot of wings abdomen
see veru well,
Horn for
sothey release
protecting
special smells to mates
Communicate.

Dung beetles roll

Spurs for animalpoo into a neat

dung Horned dung

rolling ball. They then bury
beetle
the ball to eat later or
lay their eggs inside it.

Six legs
7
 Busy workers The termite queen can live up
to 50 years. Worker termites
Ants and termites live in huge colonies, workingand helping only live one to twWO years!
each other. They both are ruled by queens. Workers build Although ants and termites
the nest, search for food and protect the young. look quite similar, termites
are much larger in size.

An ant's nest is like a factory, with

busyworkers doing different jobs.

There are lots of tunnels and Termites build large mud mound
Ants build nests rooms inside the nest. The rooms colonies above the ground. Some
by moving soil are used to store food, some are mounds can be taller than a giraffe! Termite
with their mouths. used to look after eggs and babies. Inside, they work in total darkness.

Did you know?

Ants have super strength

They can carry up to

50times their own body
Ants build

The queen holes in the sides weight That is like a child

Iives in of the nest for picking up a car!

the biggest quick access
room. in and Out.
10
 Wonderful wings Moths are mostly

only active at night.

Butterflies and moths both have life cycles that Not all caterpillars This is because
go through a process called metamorphosis. It is one become butterflies, the are more at
of the most exciting processes to watch in nature! Some become moths. risk from predators
during the day.
1. A butterfly
2. The egg Dark crimson
lays its eggs.
hatches into underwing
a caterpillar.

Butterflies and moths have long

straw-like tongues to suck up nectar Did you know?
Butterflies rest with their
Egg from flowers. They help pollinate
Caterpillar plants by moving from plant to plant. wings closed, whereas

moths rest with their

wings open

Chrysalis

5. The
butterfly
3.The Some butterflies are big and some
Adult
Butterfly caterpillar are tiny. The Queen Alexandra's
emerges from emerges
eats and eats
the chrysalis birdwing butterfly isthe largest in
until it is time the world - it about the size of a
and the life is
for it to form
Cycle starts dinner plate! The western pygmy
a chrysalis
again. blue butterfly is the smallest, with a
around itself.
4. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar wingspan smaller than a grape.
changes into a butterfly. Queen Alexandra's birdwing
20
 Glossary Index
A G
Antennae Mollusc Annelid 4, 25 Giant cicada 24 Periwinkle 12 Termite 9, 10, 26
Ant 9, 10, 26 Giant weta 24 27
A sensory organ found on the head An invertebrate that has a soft body Pollen 17,

of insects, used for touch and smell. and usually a shell.

Antennae 5,6, 15, 17, Grasshopper 6, 15, 16 Polinate 17 20, 27 W
27 Wasp 6, 18

Arachnid Nectar Arachníd 3, 13, 25, 27 H S Web 13, 14, 25, 26

Horned dung beetle 7 Shield bug 3 Whelk 12
Animals that have eight legs and a A sweet liquid produced by plants and B 23 Slug 11 Worm 4, 12
body that is divided into two segments. used by bees in making honey. Bee 17, 18, 26, 27 Leopard 4 Earth 4, 12
Bumble 17 Spanish 11 Flat 12
Colony Pollen Honey 17 Invertebrate 3, 11, 27 Snail 4, 11, 12, 25 Round 12

A large group of animals that Iive The fine powder made by certain Butterfly 5, 19, 20, 26 Spider 3, 13, 14
Queen K Diving l4
together in one area, such as a nest. plants when they reproduce. Alexandra's Katydid l6 House 13

Chrysalis Pollinate birdwing 20, 26 Jumping 5,6

Tortoiseshell 5 Peacock 14
The hardened outer layer of the pupa. The process that allows plants Tarantula 13
Lacewing 21

Invertebrate toreproduce. Ladybird 8 Stag beetle 8

Stick insect 24, 26

19 Larvae 7, 27
An animal that does not have Predator Caterpillar

Centipede 3 Limpet 12 Sting 17, 18

a backbone or bony skeleton. An animal that hunts another Colorado beetle 6
animal for food. Cricket 15, 16, 24 M
Larvae Mollusc 4, 11, 12, 25,
The young of certain animals that Prey D 26, 27
must go through big physical changes An animal that is hunted by Dragonfly 22, 24, 26 Mosquito 22
Moth 20
before they become adults. another animal for food.
19,

E Atlas 24
Dark crimson
Life cycle Egg 7,9, 13, 19, 26
underwing 20
A of stages
series a living thing goes 3
Myriapod
through during its life.
Firefly 8
Fly 5, 21

Froghopper 23 Nest 9, 17, 18, 27

28
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