Picture of blue and green iridescent body and huge gold eyes.

Hundreds of new and unusual insects discovered in the Amazon’s canopy

Most entomologists study life on the ground. Instead, these scientists looked up—and found a staggering diversity of new creatures.

Iridescent orchid bees, tropical cousins of bumblebees and honeybees, were among the multitude of insects that entomologists collected at an observation tower in Brazil.

This story appears in the April 2021 issue of National Geographic magazine.

This content is Subscriber-Exclusive
You must have a National Geographic subscription to explore this article.

Unlock this Nat Geo Premium content–and much more

Want to keep exploring? Unlock this exclusive story and more with Nat Geo Premium.
Already a subscriber?
Sign In

Read This Next

These Native Americans were taken from their families as children
Why we still haven’t caught the world’s largest fish
This ship hoped to usher in an age of nuclear-powered travel

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet