Yeah, sure, bugs are gross, especially if there are one or more phobias in the mix, but bugs can also be very, very cool. You know, like the very colorful ones. And ones that get zoomed in very close on a camera. And also the ones that are also captured in ultra slow motion. Yeah, you know where we’re going with this.
Ant Lab, a YouTube channel headed by research biologist Dr. Adrian Smith, has recently released a pretty cool video showcasing 11 kinds of winged insect species taking off in super slow motion. Oddly satisfying and hella interesting, to say the least.
Everything in slow motion is better—even winged insect take-off and flight
Image credits: Ant Lab
So, Ant Lab is a YouTube channel of the Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences & North Carolina State University. It is hosted by Dr. Adrian Smith, a research biologist interested in animal behavior and communication. He is featured in many of the channel’s videos.
One of the channel’s most recent videos takes a look at insects in flight. In particular, it features 11 different species across 5 taxonomic orders of winged insects taking off in ultra slow motion—3,200 frames per second.
And Dr. Adrian Smith of Ant Lab has given us a unique glimpse at just how awesome bug flight is using slow motion cameras in one of his most recent videos
Among the many insects, there are various species of weevils, katydids, and barklice, and it also features an insect with a very badass name—the spined assassin bug. The insects were collected between July and November in Raleigh, North Carolina, save for the bush katydid, which comes from New Hampshire.
Now, we’re used to seeing bugs as a blur when they are in flight—unless they are slow fliers—but the video provides a unique and detailed glimpse at how insects take off and fly. And some look super graceful and structured in how they fly, while others are derpy and you can’t help but love it.
The videos of bugs taking off were captured using an ultra slow-mo camera at 3,200 frames per second
Image credits: Ant Lab
Weevils, for instance, look like they are trying very hard to take off, with their extremities comically extended in random directions as if flying for the first time, hoping for the best.
Katydids, however, are much more structured and graceful in how they fly: they have these long hind legs that help them kick off, timing the jump with the first flap of the wings.
The march fly is another specimen that looks like it’s trying to break dance mid flight, doing the superman along the way, but it looks cool regardless!
While some insects look majestic, showing masterful coordination and grace…
Image credits: Ant Lab
This is one of two videos available on the channel. The previous video features a handful of other insects, like the firefly, the scorpionfly, the lacewing, and my personal favorite—the rosy maple moth. Just look at it, it is absolutely poofy and adorable.
… others are a tad bit derpy and look like even they’re surprised that they’re flying
Image credits: Ant Lab
The video has received quite a bit of attention, garnering over 335,000 views and being discussed in online news media. Among all of the appreciation in the comment section, there were also many who joked about all of the insects looking like they are surprised they can fly.
Others poked fun at how it actually looks awesome in slow motion, but in reality, we’d all be going for a fly swatter or calling the exorcist if it’s a bigger bug. A number of people even pointed out that the weevil is their spirit animal because of how derpy it is.
Image credits: Ant Lab
You can check out more on the Ant Lab YouTube channel—it’s full of insecty goodness, and you can also check out Dr. Smith’s website or any of his social media: Twitter and Instagram. But before you go, what are your thoughts on this? Which one of these is your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below!
There’s also another video from August showing off a handful of other insects in flight
Image credits: Ant Lab
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