Robert Dudley
Dr Robert Dudley is a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. He has authored more than 180 papers and two books on animal flight and comparative physiology, and studies the biomechanics and aerial performance of hummingbirds and a diversity of insect species under both laboratory and field conditions.
Visit Robert DudleyFarthest gliding insect
A study into the orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) found that these colourful insects could use their petal-shaped legs to glide an average distance of 6.1 m (20 ft), and up to 14.7 m (48 ft 2 in). The research was led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and the results were published in the journal Current Biology on 29 November 2023.