Insects

[Shienvien]

The last I heard (well, have been hearing for the past decade), "protists" as a group was disassembled and is no longer scientifically recognized (outdated sources obviously still list that kingdom), and the former members of group are classified as plants, fungi, animals and so forth now, depending on their specific characteristics. "Protists" was an artificial group to begin with, with little biological basis for being lumped together.

 

And yup, insects are animals.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Shienvien

[octopi]

*pokes head out*

 

Lots of bacteria and archaea photosynthesize as well! I believe being a producer isn't the only criteria for being classified a plant.

 

And about the protist thing: Really? Well we're still being taught about them in biology. :I Shrug, school systems aren't really reliable sources of recent information.

[LadyFoxfire]

I usually think of the big ones as animals, like really big tarantulas, but even butterflies, ladybugs, millipedes, centipedes. But gnats! No way! Too small. Too annoying and stupid. And way too many of them! Anything that flies in my face while I'm talking or eating deserves to die, especially when they're trying to fly right into my mouth or eyeballs. That's a total invasion of personal space and they lose all rights in that moment.

 

Fungi is different for me. I place mushrooms in that category, ergo I think of fungi as a plant of sorts, kind of like moss.

Edited May 29, 2014 by LadyFoxfire

[Fightandspawn]

I think of them as animals. Tasty animals. Well, only some of them. Some are gross.

[urge101]

I think they're animals, but people(in general) aren't concerned as much about them. Do you think people would start freaking out if they found out some soap company were testing shampoo on... COCKROACHES?!?! I know that's impractical, but you get my point.

[Nine]

I vaguely recall some outrage when a video of a woman torturing a cockroach with a tazer surfaced on the web. Maybe there's hope for people yet.

(I'm sure in a hopelessly optimistic mood.)

[renlacarne]

insects are sectioned under animalia in the classification system

so yes they are animals scientifically

as a basis people dont tend to count them because they are strange or frightening

as a sectioning of 'bugs' vs insects because there is a vast difference on a science basis but then again people dont always like things that arent cute or fluffy and cute is variable depending on the person

i personally find some bugs to be cute and others to be horrific due to personal phobias

[igloo9201]

Oh, goodness. You think THAT'S bad?

 

I had a friend once who said that humans aren't mammals. Why? "Because mammals are animals and humans aren't animals because we are created in God's image. God didn't make us animals."

 

Wow. Just wow. That's too stupid for words, really. Wow. Humans are officially their own kingdom, order, genus, ALL THAT STUFF. We have completely unique taxonomy that separates us from all life on earth. Because God made us that way. Or maybe we're bacteria, or a fungi, are those dignified enough for us mighty humans? Screw our hair, respiration, mammaries, our reproductive anatomy, really ALL of our anatomy. We aren't mammals. We're speshul.

 

Or my cousin that insisted, and argued his case for like twenty minutes, that a "rodent" is an animal that eats other dead animals. Um, no. That would be a carnivore, or if it eats already dead animals, a scavenger. "No, no, it's a rodent!" So you think mice eat meat now? "They're not really rodents." OH MY GOODNESS HOW ARE YOU THIS STUPID? "Orcas are rodents! Wolves are rodents!" NO THEY ARE NOT!!!!

 

A rodent is a small mammal defined by their teeth! Their incisors never stop growing!!! Rabbits actually aren't rodents because they have an extra tooth on each side of their mouth. It's all in the teeth, NOTHING to do with diet. Wolves are canids. Orcas are cetaceans. Mice are rodents. Damn! Quit telling me that random carnivores are rodents!

 

EDIT: And mantises! <3 We bought lots of eggs for several years, starting in like 2006. Now we have a self-sustaining population and we don't have to buy eggs any more. Actually, my dad saw a female while he mowed the grass yesterday.

Edited September 15, 2014 by igloo9201

[LikeTwoPancakes]

Insects are insects, that doesn't make them and less cool though.

[Brotato]

LOOK AT ALL THESE UNIQUELY AWESOME INSECTS OF VARYING SIZES AND AWESOMENESS!!!

 

And then there's that bloodsucking arse...

 

Edited October 24, 2014 by Brotato

[octopi]

Mosquitoes are actually capital I Important to ecosystems. For one thing they're a major source of food for bats (being filled with blood means they're pretty nutritious) and if they died off, so would many many other things that people care about. And malaria and the like hurts them too; it's not like they want to be carriers, they're being taken advantage of by the disease as well. Of course that's not to say you can't hate them or kill them when they fly in your face (that's why they lay so many eggs after all), just keep a realistic lookout and be aware of the importance of living things no matter how annoying! ~*the more you know*~

 

But yeah, there's literally no debate. Scientifically they belong to kingdom Animalia. The existence of people who deny that fact don't prove it wrong.

[Twyro]

Yes, they are animals, and I'm disgusted by most of them. But I do like butterflies.

[ChocolateIzzy]

I wanted a Rhino Beetle for awhile...

[kitsune93]

I used to be grossed out by them but, the more I learn about them the more I like them.

I really want to take an entomology class in the fall.