SPECIMEN_01CHEMISTRY
01
Bombardier beetle
BrachininaeA rapid chemical reaction fires a hot, pulsing defensive spray from its abdomen.
Collection 02 / 06
Insects
Tiny bodies, planetary impact
Six legs, three body regions, and an astonishing range of adaptations have made insects pollinators, engineers, hunters, recyclers, and master mimics.
FIELD MARKS
01
Head, thorax, and abdomen
02
Exactly six jointed legs
03
One pair of antennae
04
Many transform through metamorphosis
Three remarkable examples
Meet the
specialists.
Each species is a different experiment—one adaptation amplified until it opens an entirely new way to live.
SPECIMEN_02AGRICULTURE
02
Leafcutter ant
Atta cephalotesColonies harvest leaves to cultivate a fungus—the food crop at the center of their society.
SPECIMEN_03MIGRATION
03
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippusMultiple generations complete a continental migration using an internal clock and sun compass.