Are centaurs insects since they have six limbs?

You’ve probably heard that all insects have six legs. This trait helps distinguish them from other animals, such as mammals or birds. If six legs are all you need to be an insect, could a centaur count as an insect? A centaur is a mythical creature with the body of a horse and the torso of a human, giving a centaur four horse legs and two human arms. While having six limbs matches one trait of insects, scientists use a stricter definition. 

What is an insect?

Did you know that most creatures on Earth are actually insects? According to the Smithsonian, there are roughly 91,000 different insect species in the United States alone. 

For a creature to be classified as an insect, it must have 

• Three distinct body segments (head, thorax, and abdomen) 
• Six legs
• No spine

While the centaur has a human head, a human torso (that could function as a thorax), and a horse abdomen, a centaur still has one major thing that insects do not: a spine. All insects are invertebrates, meaning they lack a spine. Instead, they have an exoskeleton that protects and supports their body from the outside. Humans and horses have endoskeletons inside their bodies, surrounded by tissue. 

Could centaurs evolve from insects?

Although centaurs are not insects by our biological definition, they could share common ancestors with insects in a fantasy world. All creatures are split into animal kingdoms based on shared ancestors from hundreds of millions of years ago. Since centaurs don’t exist in our world, we don’t know their origins. Centaurs could be classified as insects if they are closely related to insects. Still, this scenario is very unlikely.

On the other hand, it is possible that centaurs evolved to have six limbs because they saw the advantages that insects had by having six limbs. This is known as convergent evolution. Sometimes, completely unrelated animals develop similar features or abilities to help them thrive in their environment. For example, both bats and whales use echolocation to navigate in the dark, but both species developed this ability independently. 

Could centaurs move like insects?

Since centaurs aren’t real, we cannot know for certain how they walk or run. It’s possible that they could move similarly to insects by using all six of their limbs to propel themselves forward. While this idea is nightmarish, it does make centaurs more insect-like. However, for this to be possible, the human torso would need to be extremely flexible to reach the ground. Instead, it’s more likely that a centaur would move like a horse. The lower body would move while the upper body would remain upright.

Centaurs aren’t insects.

Unfortunately, centaurs are not insects just because they have six limbs. All insects need to have six limbs, three segmented body parts, and an exoskeleton. In a fantasy world where centaurs exist, it’s possible that centaurs and insects could share common ancestors through evolution. Even if they’re not connected through evolution, it’s possible that centaurs and insects move similarly since we can’t know for certain how centaurs would move if they were real. Think about your favorite mythical creature; how would they move, and what creatures could they be related to?