The Bug Bin

325 million years ago, the first insects took flight. They were the earliest animals to do so and today still remain one of the only groups to truly have mastered it. These unique creatures evolved from early arthropods—animals without a vertebrate, but with a hard exoskeleton and a segmented body—which had, of course, first emerged far earlier (during the Cambrian Explosion, some 500 million years ago). Flight, alongside their small size and armored exoskeleton, has allowed insects to proliferate and diversify like no other animal. Even today, insects make up 75% of all described animal species (and even better yet: arthropods as a whole make up a whopping 97% of all described species). Now that's biological success! We are a community of bug lovers, and we are proud of it. We research, we breed, and we care for invertebrates because we love their uniqueness and downright cuteness. But in a broader sense, we share our love in hopes that the world will become a more welcoming place to the little guys. While some people may see a bug and let out a cry of disgust, we want to promote a world where insects and all creatures can be appreciated by everyone. Wouldn't that be nice?