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Posted On: October 6th 2026, 04:16 pm
How many insect species are there on Earth?
For 40 years, scientists estimated about 6 million. New research from scientist Robert Colwell suggests the real number could be as high as 20 million!
Cutting-edge research is revealing a vast hidden world of insects—and showing how much biodiversity may still be waiting to be discovered.
All images were taken within Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Costa Rica.
Photo 2: Remnant strangler fig tree in the rainforest along Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 3: Core Malaise trap on Volcán Cacao, used to collect insects for DNA-barcoding by M. Alex Smith
Photo 4: Co-author Daniel H. Janzen overlooking the cloud forest on Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 5: Cloud forest understory on Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 6: View from the dry forest toward Volcán Orosi and Volcán Cacao, by Roger Blanco Segura
For 40 years, scientists estimated about 6 million. New research from scientist Robert Colwell suggests the real number could be as high as 20 million!
Cutting-edge research is revealing a vast hidden world of insects—and showing how much biodiversity may still be waiting to be discovered.
All images were taken within Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Costa Rica.
Photo 2: Remnant strangler fig tree in the rainforest along Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 3: Core Malaise trap on Volcán Cacao, used to collect insects for DNA-barcoding by M. Alex Smith
Photo 4: Co-author Daniel H. Janzen overlooking the cloud forest on Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 5: Cloud forest understory on Volcán Cacao, by M. Alex Smith
Photo 6: View from the dry forest toward Volcán Orosi and Volcán Cacao, by Roger Blanco Segura
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