Creepy Crawler Insect Insights

This is the eBook version of the printed book.

This Element is an excerpt from Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Real Answers on Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond (9780137057399) by Sherry Seethaler. Available in print and digital formats.

Spiders, flies, butterflies, and beyond: why insects are way more fascinating than you ever imagined!

Just as we humans have individual, sometimes unusual, tastes–such as liverwurst, Jell-O with shredded carrots, and stinky cheeses–our eight-legged friends have theirs. Although spiders mostly dine on whatever prey comes their way, some find mosquitoes particularly tasty. One species, from East Africa, seems to have a special preference for female mosquitoes that have recently dined on blood…