A robin is a bird, a fox is a mammal, a frog is an amphibian, etc. Insects are one of the biggest groups of animals in the world. More than half of all of the animals in the world we know about are insects! However, a lot of the things we call insects don’t really belong in this group.

Which of the below animals are actually insects? Here are some clues to get you started. Insects lay eggs, they should have 3 pairs of legs (so 6 altogether), their bodies are split into 3 sections and they have a pair of antennae which they use for sensing what is around them.

 

SPIDER

Wrong!

WOODLOUSE

Wrong!

SNAIL

Wrong!

BUMBLEBEE

Correct!

CENTIPEDE

Wrong!

BUTTERFLY

Correct!

Why are these not insects?

A woodlouse is a crustacean, 14 legs (same group as a crab)

A spider is arachnid (8 legs, 2 body parts)

A snail is mollusc (one big foot)

A centipede is an arthropod (lots of legs and body parts)