Raleigh, United States - August 29, 2024

[Note: slow-motion video]
[Credit: Adrian Smith]

In a discovery that might make even Sonic the Hedgehog envious, researchers from North Carolina State University have unveiled the extraordinary jumping abilities of the globular springtail (Dicyrtomina minuta), a minuscule creature found right in our backyards. This study, led by Adrian Smith, marks the first detailed analysis of how this tiny hexapod performs what might be the fastest backflip in the animal kingdom.

The globular springtail, measuring just a couple of millimeters, employs a unique appendage called a furca to launch itself into the air, achieving backflips at an astonishing rate of 368 rotations per second. This performance, captured using high-speed cameras shooting at 40,000 frames per second, reveals that these springtails can leap over 60 times their own body height in just one-thousandth of a second.

Adrian Smith, who conducted the study by observing springtails from his own backyard, explained, "When globular springtails jump, they don’t just leap; they execute a series of backflips that are the closest thing to a Sonic the Hedgehog jump in nature." The springtails' method of jumping isn't for locomotion but primarily for escaping predators, as noted by co-author Jacob Harrison, indicating their jumps are almost always backward or slightly sideways.

The study also explored how these springtails land, revealing two distinct styles: an uncontrolled tumble or an anchored landing where they use a sticky forked tube to halt their momentum. This dual landing strategy underscores the adaptability of these creatures in their natural environment.

Smith's fascination with these tiny acrobats led to this groundbreaking research, highlighting how much remains unknown about the biodiversity right under our noses. "This is a great example of how we can find incredible, and largely undescribed, organisms living all around us," Smith remarked, emphasizing the importance of exploring the microcosms in our environment.