Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Insects
Like you, insects are alive. Both people and insects are animals. Insects are different from most other animals. Let's read to find out how they are different.
Insects are invertebrate animals. That means they have no backbone. Insects are the largest group of animals on Earth. In fact, about half of all animals that scientists know are insects!
Insects have three main body parts. They are the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. They have six legs. Many adult insects also have wings. The wings and legs are attached to the thorax.
Some invertebrate animals look like insects, but they are not. Spiders and scorpions, for example, are commonly confused with insects. Spiders and scorpions are not insects because they have eight legs, not six. They also have only two body segments instead of three.
Most insects lay eggs. Some young insects look like their parents. Other young insects, such as caterpillars, look very different from their parents.
