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Why are there so many insects? - Murry Gans

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TEDEd Animation

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If insects suddenly morphed into large beings and decided to wage war on us, there’s no doubt that humans would lose. There are an estimated 10 quintillion individual insects on earth, outnumbering humans by more than a billion to one. So what’s their secret to success? Murry Gans details the reasons behind insect abundance.

Insects, unlike humans and other vertebrates, have an exoskeleton. This means their skeleton is on the outside instead of the inside, like us. How do you think insects manage to grow bigger if they are encased in an exoskeleton?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Murry Gans
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Director Esteban Valdez
  • Producer Emilce Diaz
  • Animator Emilce Diaz, Dariel Bencosme , Najja Porter
  • Artist Meike Groh
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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