When Insects Lose A Body Part To Save Itself?

Insects can detach specific body parts when trapped or entangled, allowing them to navigate through tight spaces and break free from sticky traps or webs. Some insects can regenerate lost limbs, organs, and entire bodies, a ability that rivals superpowered healing. For those who cannot regenerate body parts, like the beaked Hemiptera insects known as “true bugs”, autotomy means saying goodbye to an extremity forever. Most insects can lose a limb or two without issue, but serious mobility issues are a death sentence due to predation and breaches to the chitinous exoskeleton are difficult to heal.

Insects belong to four remarkable groups: trilobites (sadly extinct), insects, crustaceans (shrimp, lobsters, crabs), and chelicerates (horseshoe crabs, spiders). Some insects have the ability to regenerate lost body parts, such as legs or antennae, through a process called molting. During molting, insects shed their exoskeleton and grow a new one, demonstrating resilient and flexible locomotion even with drastic changes in their body structure.

A research group now understands more about adaptive locomotion in insects. Death-feigning insects don’t like having their palps moved, and if they move in response, your insect is still alive. When trapped or entangled, insects can strategically detach specific body parts to free themselves from perilous situations, such as autotomy, which allows them to lose a leg and save their life by distracting a hungry predator.

However, once an insect hits the pupa stage, there isn’t much that can be done to heal any damage. The cuticle (or exoskeleton) cannot be repaired as a result of freezing. Decomposition of a corpse is a continual process that can take weeks to years, depending on the environment.