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// Insects 
// Story: Fluttershy's Animal Classes 
// by Majestical4729 
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A cricket was seen on a tree bark, before Fluttershy flew up to it to fetch it, and bring it down to the ground with some of the other insects that included ants, grasshopper, butterflies and beetles.

"Alright Discord, over here is a group consisting ants, grasshoppers, beetles, a cricket and a butterfly. They all belong to the animal class insects. Do you se anything that they all have in common?"

Discord summoned his magnifying glass like he did he last times. He observed the insects closely with the said tool and said what he observed out loud, "They all have 6 legs....and 2 antennae on their heads."

"We say that they have a pair of antennae on top of their heads," Fluttershy corrected, "You are right about the antennae and the 6 legs, as most insects have them, therefore they are in the same class."

"So as long as they have a pair of antennae on top of their head, and 6 legs, they are insects." Discord noted.

"Those are just 2 of the characteristics. Another characteristic is their 3 main body parts; Their head, thorax, and abdomen." Fluttershy explained.

"Thorax?!" Discord asked.

"Not the leader of the changelings Thorax," Fluttershy clarified, "The insect body part thorax. The changeling leader is probably named after the insect body part thorax."

"Should we ever tell him?" Discord asked.

"Not so sure...we'll talk about that some other time," Fluttershy figured, "Back to the lecture about insects. You must know that some insects have wings like butterflies, while others do not like ants. Insects that have wings have 2 pairs of wings. So they will have a total of 4 wings."

"A total of 4 wings?!" Discord asked, "That's not fair. They got more wings than birds! Double, that is!"

"Actually Discord, more wings does not mean faster," Fluttershy pointed out, "Most birds are faster than insects, despite the fact that birds only have 2 wings while insects with wings have 4. The fastest flying insect is the dragonfly, known to travel at the speed of 35 miles an hour.  While the fastest bird, the peregrine falcon, can fly at a speed of 200 miles an hour."

"So the insects have more wings but are not faster than birds...what a pity!" Discord commented.

"Actually Discord, insects still have incredible abilities for creatures their size. Matter of fact, we never had their abilities, as our skills would not even math theirs!" flutter shy told him.

"What?!" Discord asked in confusion.

"The horned dung beetle may be a mere 10 millimeters long, but they can pull up to 1141 times its own body weight. If we want to match that ability, we ourselves must pull up to 1141 times our own weights!" Fluttershy explained.

"1141 times our own weights?!" Discord  dramatically fainted, "I don't think I can ever do something like that!"

"That's why insects are still incredible despite their size!" Fluttershy informed, "Now that's enough trivia, let's get back to the lecture about insects, their characteristics, shall we?"

"Yes, Fluttershy. We shall." Discord responded.

"Insects do not have backbones, so they are invertebrates. Instead of backbones, they have exoskeletons, hard shell-like covering on the outside of their bodies." Fluttershy explained.

"No backbones...because they are invertebrates...have exoskeletons, hard shell-like coverings on the outside of their bodies...got it!" Discord wrote down in his notebook.

"One last characteristic that you need to know now..." Fluttershy stated, "How insects reproduce. Most insects reproduce oviparously, meaning that they lay eggs.  Most insects exhibit internal fertilization — males deposit their sperm inside a female’s body. With so many insects, over one million species of insects, there can be a lot of exceptions that come along. But do not worry, we are not talking about them in this lecture."

"And what a relief!" Discord could not help but say after hearing about how many insect species there were, and learning that he did not need to know them all.

"Now that you heard the facts, it is time for the test." Fluttershy declared, before asking, "Question One; What do most insects have that makes them insects?"

"Most insects have a pair of antennae on top of their head, and 6 legs."

"Question Two; the 3 main body parts of an insect?"

"Their head, thorax, and abdomen."

"Question Three; do insects have wings?"

"Some insects do, others do not. Ants are insects that do not have wings, while butterflies are insects that do. Insects that have wings have 2 pairs of wings, making a total of 4. Despite having more wings than birds, insects are not faster than birds."

"Question Four; Do insects have bones?"

"Insects are invertebrates, so they do not have backbones. Instead, they have exoskeletons, hard  shell-like covering on the outside of its body."

"Question Five; how do insects reproduce?"

"Insects reproduce through internal fertilisation, and lay eggs. Although there can be many exceptions given that there are a lot of insects, over a million species!"

"Well done Discord, you are answering like an animal lover after each lecture! One more lecture to go and lesson number one will be done!" Fluttershy congratulated.