Page 220 - The Microworld Miracle

have a completely different structure from
those of flies. In the same way, the dragonfly
has a totally different body structure than
the locust, the cockroach than the ant, and
the bee than o the flea. There's no room
here to examine all the different fea-
tures possessed by insects, though

we can survey certain common
structures.

The Carapace

Of the features that al-
low insects to live in all sorts
of climatic conditions, head-
ing the list is the chitin shell
that forms the outer surface of
their bodies. Insects have no
skeletons, but rather, a so-

called exoskeleton that
surrounds them like ar-
mor. Its main component
is chitin, which is ex-
THE MICROWORLD MIRACLE means that in-
ceedingly thin and
which
light,

sects have

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