The insect body plan
The insect body plan: all insects share three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), six legs attached to the thorax, and antennae on the head. Most have wings. They have an exoskeleton — a hard outer shell — instead of bones inside.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Label the three body parts of an insect — head, thorax, and abdomen — on a diagram or real specimen
- State that all insects have exactly six legs and that the legs attach to the thorax
- Explain that insects have an exoskeleton, a hard outer covering, instead of bones inside their body
The lesson
Every insect in the world shares the same basic body plan. Its body has three main parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Once you know these three parts, you can spot an insect anywhere.
Picture a beetle walking across a leaf. Its head has two antennae for feeling around. Its thorax, right behind the head, holds all six legs. Its abdomen, the largest part at the back, holds most of its insides.
Insects don't have bones inside like you do. Instead, they wear a hard outer shell called an exoskeleton. It protects their soft insides, just like a suit of armor.
Every insect has three body parts, six legs on the thorax, and a hard exoskeleton instead of bones.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.