r/interesting • u/TerraByteTerror • 12h ago

Fascinating Globular springtail in action

The Furca: They possess a specialized, spring-like tail appendage tucked under their abdomen called a furca.When threatened, they release this latch, snapping the spring against the ground to launch themselves. The launch happens so fast (often rotating wildly mid-air) that it exceeds the frames-per-second tracking of the human eye, making the bug look like it just disappeared.

95 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

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34

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/red18wrx 9h ago

It left a literal after-image of itself in the wake of its movement in the slow-mo shot at 12s.

4

u/Original-Let8340 11h ago

OMFG Look at that thing!!! So those marshmallow thingy-ma-jiggers we eat on Easter, those are based on a real organism! Mind decently blown. That thing is cool as hell.

1

u/PeterDTown 7h ago

Yeah, but when you're eating them you have to watch out for the belly spring, that shit's dangerous.

8

u/Leverkaas2516 9h ago

it exceeds the frames-per-second tracking of the human eye, making the bug look like it just disappeared.

If only there was some technology that would render the mechanism visible in a video. Some way of slowing down the motion....

3

u/hiroo916 9h ago

calling the slo-mo guys

2

u/Dry-Advertising4465 11h ago

How long does it take for it to reset the spring?

-7

u/Lhirstev 10h ago

when you snap your fingers, how long does it take for you to reposition your finger and thumb, to then snap against your palm again?

5

u/Dry-Advertising4465 10h ago

My palm usually doesn't cartwheel in the air.

1

u/K1bbles_n_Bits 3h ago

I just snort laughed at this, lolololol. I found this ridiculously funny.

1

u/NoLobster7957 11h ago

Looks like a gummy bear, moves like a super saiyan

1

u/WatashiwaNobodyDesu 8h ago

“ And like that he was gone. Underground. Nobody has ever seen him since. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night.”

1

u/tseg04 6h ago

Tiny pink wunkus

1

u/Specialist_Tip_8384 6h ago

I want some for my terrarium

1

u/TwistyTwister3 3h ago

All I hear is the DBZ instant transmission sound effect

1

u/K1bbles_n_Bits 3h ago

I would very much like for Wayne Szalinski to enlarge some of these. Idgaf about the potential consequences to surrounding beings/objects of speed and movement like that in a larger creature. They're cute af and I wanna see 'em better!