Planthoppers are a kind of insect, and they are terribly interesting. As you can see from the image, they look a little bit like snowflakes resting on tropical branches. However these little guys are anything but silent and still. Entomologist Dr. Ross Piper wanted to get a up close look at the Flatidae planthopper nymphs, a particularly fascinating breed of planthoppers that leap about with great speed and agility (as an aside, there are over 12,000 species of planthoppers).
In order to find the creatures, Piper traveled to the forests of Burma. Fortunately, during a shoot for Smithsonian Channel, he stumbled across some of these little creatures. For the most part, the minuscule insects keep themselves safe with hair-like stems protruding from their bodies, similar to thorns. Watch while Dr. Piper has a little fun with these intriguing creatures.
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