Overview

• 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.