On the Net: A bug's life thrives online

No, we're not talking about software bugs (though those viruses can indeed still rear their heads), but good ol' insects. There are, naturally, numerous scientifically minded sites like bugbios.com throughout the Web, but insects are also finding staring roles in the online entertainment world.

The dragonfly is ready for its close-up.

As is true with so much on the Internet, sex is what's generating interest.

More than three million people have watched a YouTube video documenting the mating rituals of leopard slugs whereby two entwined slugs suspend themselves from a branch and fertilize each other in mid-air.

Titled "Slug Sex," the video was lifted from the thoroughly impressive BBC documentary series "Life in the Undergrowth," hosted by David Attenborough. Highlights from the series (which captured many spectacular sights using tiny cameras) can be seen at:

On YouTube, where so often the most popular videos tease sex or skin, the success of these slugs in love is both odd and perfectly fitting. Commenters have variously called it the "no. 1 love scene" and sarcastically wondered why YouTube would allow pornography. (The site's community guidelines specify: "YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content" -presumably referring only to mammals.)

The line between insects and humans is further blurred by, of all people, Isabella Rossellini. The 55-year-old actress ("Blue Velvet," "Death Becomes Her") wrote, co-directed and stars in a series of eight short films titled "Green Porno."

The shorts have been making their way around the festival circuit, first playing at the Sundance Film Festival and, most recently, at the Tribeca Film Festival. In full-bodied costumes, Rossellini plays insects such as an earthworm, a firefly and a praying mantis, and describes their methods of reproduction.