Tiny Globular Springtail Sets Record for Fastest Backflips

Researchers capture the astonishing acrobatics of a common backyard bug using high-speed cameras.

Globular springtails can backflip 60 times their body height in just one-thousandth of a second.
The bugs use a specialized appendage called a furca to launch themselves into rapid spins.
High-speed cameras reveal these hexapods rotate at up to 368 times per second.
Springtails primarily jump backward to evade predators, not for general movement.
Landing styles vary between controlled anchoring and uncontrolled tumbling.