Eight Bugs Up Close That Look Like Aliens

If you are in no way a fan of bugs, then seeing them up close is probably not on the top of your bucket list.

However, when they’re as striking as these pictures are, you might change your mind - and someone else has got up close for you!

The incredible pictures show four of a jumping spider’s eight eyes staring straight at the camera (above) while the iridescent colours of beetles, bees and a deer fly can be seen in spectacular detail.

Geoscientist and scientific photographer Mark Smith is the man behind the shots and he took them as part of scientific research documenting the different species and examining their behaviours, populations and trends.

(Agopostemon Bee)

(Bee)

(Tiger Beetle)

You might not want to see one crawling across your carpet but the tiger beetle is one of the most colourful insects photographed, showing off metallic colours of green, blue and even red that offset its big eyes.

Other insects pictured include the blue blister beetle (say that five times quickly after a few drinks), a black and yellow deer fly, an emerald ash borer and two types of metallic-green bees including an agopostemon bee.

Mark, 26, from Coventry, Connecticut, was able to get just a few centimetres close to the insects, while some of the shots were taken at a distance of a few hundred microns - one-thousandth of a millimetre.

(Deer Fly)

(Blister Beetle)

He revealed: “Each image shows some detail, feature or function that was critical to determining a research question.

"The images also help document these species so that the public knows what to watch out for.

"Examining insect behaviours, populations and trends can ultimately help researchers understand how the human environment is changing.

(Emerald Ash Borer)

(Tiger Beetle)

"Biodiversity is in steep decline.”

Despite their other-wordly appearance, Mark said these creatures are just as part of Earth as humans.

He added: "We have the opportunity to observe that the beings we coexist with are not alien, but magnificent in every imaginable way.”

Pics: Mark Smith/Solent News/REX