The froghopper is the world's most powerful jumper, accelerating faster than a space rocket.

The froghopper (Philaenus spumarius) achieved its title as nature's most explosive jumper following a 2003 study by Professor Malcolm Burrows at the University of Cambridge. Burrows used high-speed photography to capture the insect's leap, discovering it reaches a takeoff velocity of 4 meters per second in less than one millisecond. This requires an initial acceleration of approximately 4,000 meters per second squared.Unlike humans who use muscles to jump, the froghopper uses a specialized catapult mechanism. It locks its hind legs in place and slowly contracts its large internal muscles to store energy in a bow-like structure made of pleurin, a highly elastic protein in its exoskeleton. When the 'trigger' is released, the stored energy is discharged almost instantly, providing power that far exceeds the limits of normal muscle tissue.To put this into perspective, the froghopper experiences forces of up to 400 Gs. For comparison, a space shuttle launch subjects astronauts to about 3 to 4 Gs, and humans generally lose consciousness at 9 Gs. The froghopper's ability to withstand such extreme pressure without internal damage is a marvel of biological engineering and allows it to vanish from the sight of predators in roughly 0.001 seconds.