Researchers uncover hidden secrets of jumping ability of springtail bugs

Researchers from North Carolina State University claim to have uncovered the secrets behind the extraordinary jumping abilities of the globular springtail.

The study, led by Adrian Smith, reportedly found that the tiny hexapod, Dicyrtomina minuta, measuring just a couple of millimeters, employs a unique appendage called a furca to launch itself into the air. This allows it to achieve backflips at an astonishing rate of 368 rotations per second.