A while ago we made a post about paper insects that ended up being much more popular than I thought it would be. Because everyone seems to like them so much and because they still continue to blow my mind with how realistic they look here’s another post with another fantastic collection of origami insects.

First up is this amazing origami scolopendra which is a type of centipede. The fact that the legs and antenna are all a different colour from the main body is pretty cool.

Scolopendra 2.0, Designed and Folded by Riccardo Foschi

Crease pattern available from Riccardo Foschi’s Flickr

Here’s a really cool origami stick insect that’s flying away. P. Colman managed to fold it despite only having instructions for the base.

Flying Stick Insect, Designed by Manuel Sirgo and Folded by P. Colman

Instructions not available

Vinegaroons are a type of arachnid that’s kind of similar to a scorpion.

Vinegaroon, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Alex Mironenko

Crease pattern available from Kota Imai’s Flickr

This next model is an Aedes aegypti which is a type of mosquito that is known for spreading Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Zika and other not so fun diseases. Fortunately you won’t catch anything from an origami version.

Aedes aegypti, Designed by Robert J. Lang and Folded by Mariano Zavala B.

Crease pattern available from langorigami.com

Satoshi Kamiya’s Cyclommatus metallifer is one of the more famous origami insects and lots of people have folded one. This great looking one is folded by Sérgio Queiroz.

Cyclommatus metallifer, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Sérgio Queiroz

Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009

Here’s another amazing origami beetle designed by Kota Imai. If Shuki Kato says it’s pretty hard to fold you know it’s a serious model. He spent about 15 hours folding this one.

Lucanus maculifemoratus, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Shuki Kato

Creaes pattern available from Kota Imai’s Flickr

Here’s a bonus image showing off the absolutely incredible bottom of the model.

Lucanus maculifemoratus, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Shuki Kato

Creaes pattern available from Kota Imai’s Flickr

When I think of moths I don’t really envision that they look as nice as butterflies but here’s a beautiful looking Mudarri Luna Moth.

Mudarri Luna Moth, Designed by Michael G. LaFosse and Folded by Adriano Davanzo

Diagrams available in Origami Art: 15 Exquisite Folded Paper Designs from the Origamido Studio

Here’s another incredible origami centipede design.

Centipede, Designed and Folded by Nguyen Ngoc Vu

Instructions not available

This is a pretty awesome and little bit intimidating origami soldier ant.

Soldier Ant, Designed and Folded by Andrey Ermakov

Instructions not available

Here’s one of those awesome insects that disguises itself as a leaf.

Leaf Katydid, Designed by Brian Chan and Folded by Jhordan Arauzo

Diagrams available in Origami Tanteidan 12th Convention Book

This is an origami water strider, one of those insects that can walk across the surface of the water.

Water Strider, Designed and Folded by Andrey Ermakov

Instructions not available

Here’s a fantastic butterfly that’s folded from a bird base.

Butterfly, Designed and Folded by NGUYỄN Hùng Cường

Instructions not available

This is a really excellent praying mantis design.

Praying Mantis, Designed by 神谷哲史 and Folded by Captain Moon

Crease pattern possibly available here

Here’s a really fantastic origami dragonfly that looks like it’s just landing.

Dragonfly, Designed and Folded by Artur Biernacki

Crease pattern available from Artur Biernacki’s Flickr

This origami tarantula looks very unsettlingly like the real thing.

Tarantula, Designed by Robert J. Lang and Folded by Malleon

Diagrams available in Origami Insects II, Video instructions available here

Here’s an unbelievably realistic looking cicada nymph. I have no idea how one designs something like this. This is folded from one 20cm x 20cm square of paper.

Cicada Nymph, Designed by Robert J. Lang and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son

Crease pattern available from Robert J. Lang’s website

This samurai helmet beetle designed by Robert J. Lang is another one of the more famous origami beetle models.

Samurai Helmet Beetle, Designed by Robert J. Lang and Folded by DebugMode

Diagrams available in Origami Insects and Their Kin

Kota Imai is definitely a master at designing origami insects. Here’s an origami Carabus blaptoides which is a type of beetle that apparently hunts snails. It’s long head helps it get into snail shells when the snail pulls back to hide.

Carabus blaptoides, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by P. Colman

Crease pattern available from Kota Imai’s Flickr

Here’s another fantastic origami beetle with a great colour change for the legs and antenna.

Jewel Click Beetle, Designed and Folded by Bil Ori

Crease pattern available from Bil Ori’s Flickr

This is another incredibly realistic origami beetle. Seeing it photographed over the leaves like this you have to look closely to see that it’s made out of paper.

Calosoma semilaeve, Designed by Damian Malicki and Folded by P. Colman

Crease pattern available from Damian Malicki Origami’s Flickr

Kota Imai has also designed this awesome paper scorpion.

Scorpion, Designed by Kota Imai and Folded by Malleon

Instructions not available

Here’s an incredible origami arthropod I love how the legs look splayed out like that.

Arthropods, Designed and Folded by Andrey Ermakov

Instructions not available

This is another and also very awesome praying mantis design.

Mantis Boxer, Designed by Manuel Sirgo and Folded by Mariano Zavala B.

Diagrams available in #2 Licence to Fold

Our final model for this post is an amazing origami beetle designed and folded by the origami insect master Kota Imai.

Prosopocoilus inclinatus v3.1, Designed and Folded by Kota Imai

Instructions not available

That’s it for this origami insect post but there’s still a ridiculous amount of amazing origami insects out there so there definitely will be more posts like this in the future.

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