22 Bug Facts That Sound Fake but Are Totally True

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer—Reviewed for accuracy by the FactRetriever editorial team

Published January 5, 2024Updated December 26, 2025

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of animals on Earth. With millions of specieis, many still undiscovered, bugs have evolved some of the strangest adaptations in the natural world. From insects that survive without food for months to species that communicate with light, sound, and vibrations, these weird bug facts reveal just how wonderful the insect kingdom really is.

There are more insects on Earth than stars in the Milky Way
There are an estimated 10 quintillion insects on earth. That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000. That is 10 billion insects for every human alive._[2]
Headless cockroaches can survive for days
A cockroach can live nearly a week without a head thanks to their open circulatory systems and spiracles for breathing._[2]

Flies have sensors on their feet (tarsi) that allow them to quickly taste anything that they land on, whether that's sugar or feces

Flies Taste with Their Feet
Houseflies taste using sensors on their feet, instantly identifying food sources._[2]
Super-Sensitive Taste
A fly's sense of taste is millions of times more sensitive than a human tongue._[3]
Cockroach Superpowers
Cockroaches can run 3 miles per hour, hold their breath for up to 40 minutes, and live a month without food._[2]
Spider Vision
Some spiders can see spectrums of light that humans can't see, including UVA and UVB light._[2]
Pill bugs aren't bugs at all
Pill bugs, or "rollie pollies," might look like a bug, but they are a type of crustacean. They're one of the few crustaceans that live entirely on land. Their relatives include shrimp, crabs, and lobsters._[1]
Praying Mantises Can Turn Their Heads.
Praying mantises are the only insect capable of turning their heads. They can also see in 3-D, which makes them ideal hunters._[6]
Hercules Beetles Can Lift Incredible Weights
The Hercules beetle can carry 850 times its own weight._[2]
Brazilian Treehopper
The weirdest-looking insect is widely considered to be the Brazilian treehopper. Scientists are unsure what the purpose is of their unusual globular appendage, but they suggest it could help deter predators._[2]

Scientists are unsure why the Brazilian treehopper has these globular appendages coming out of its thorax. Some scientists speculate they are a form of defense against predators

Caterpillar Legs
Caterpillars have 6 legs, just like all insects. The seeming appearance of other "legs" are actually protrusions from the caterpillar's abdomen called "prolegs."_[7]
Snake-Like Butterfly Pupae
The pupa of the Dynastor darius butterfly looks like a python. It has a wide, snake-shaped pseudo head with false snake-like eyes._[6]
Mayflies Live One Day
In German, the common name for mayflies is eintagsfliegen, which means "one-day flies." This is because they only live one day in their adult form!_[6]
Bed Bugs Can Wait Months
Bedbugs are attracted to their host's exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat. An adult bed bug can also wait up to a year without feeding._[6]
The Bug that is Born Pregnant
Most aphids are born already pregnant, an adaptation scientists call "telescoping"_[4]
Ants Farm Aphids
Aphids are sometimes called "ant cows" because some types of ants "herd" or "tend" aphids to collect and drink aphid "honeydew," just like humans tend cows for milk._[6]
Leafcutting ants
Some types of ants bring leaves back to their nests and then use them to grow fungus, which they feed to their young._[5]
Hawk moth hearing
Some hawk moths have a structure in their mouth called a labral pilifer, which allows them to hear ultrasonic sounds, such as sounds produced by a bat's echolocation._[4]

To attract a mate, the peanut bug (Fulgora laternaria) will knock its head on a hollow tree to create sound vibrations

Peanut bug vibrations
The peanut bug gets its name from the shape of its head, which looks like a peanut! It creates vibrations by tapping its head against hollow trees._[6]
Only bug with one ear
The praying mantis is the only animal on earth that has one ear._[4]
Adult Atlas moths never eat.
They slowly live off the baby fat they stored while they were a caterpillar; hence, their mouths never fully form, and they only live about 2 weeks._[3]
Goliath Beetle Weight
A Goliath beetle larvae can weigh as much as a McDonald's Quarter Pounder._[4]