The Heliconius Genome Consortium's 2012 sequencing of H. melpomene revealed the optix and WntA genes as major loci controlling wing color and pattern.
Living army-ant bridges self-optimize — the colony continuously dismantles bridges that don't carry enough traffic to be worth the labor.
The spray nozzle is a rotating turret on the tip of the abdomen — aimed precisely at attackers.
Botfly eggs hatch when they sense the warmth of a host's skin — meaning the eggs only release when the moment is right.
The myth that 'bumblebees can't fly according to physics' was debunked in the 1990s — they generate lift using vortex-shedding wing motion identified by high-speed video.
Among scorpions, small claws + thick tail = high venom potency. Deathstalkers have thread-thin pincers — the venom does the work.
Each dragonfly compound eye has 30,000 facets and provides nearly 360-degree vision.
