Who knew those round little bugs known as beetles had so much variety? From fast savages with fierce mandibles to colorful wood choppers, join me as we count down 15 interesting species of beetles.
#15: Stag Beetle
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| Look at those mandibles! |
Despite their massive mandibles, these insects are mostly gentle. The males use their mandibles to flip each other over during battle. The mandibles of females are nowhere near as big, but much sharper.
#14: Rhinoceros Beetle
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| So much power, such little bodies. |
While smaller than us humans, Rhinoceros Beetles are giants among insects. They are also one of the strongest animals in the world, being able to move things 850 times larger than themselves. If we had that kind of strength, we could lift up to 65 tons!
#13: Six Spotted Ground Beetle
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| They look kinda like game pieces, don't they? |
The shells of these beetles have a domino pattern of their shells. They will eat other bugs dead or alive, but what puts them on the list is their defense mechanism. When threatened, they emit a combination of formic acid and foul-smelling odors to get rid of their predators.
#12: Firefly
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| How many of you saw one these guys in the light? |
You might've seen these living nightlights flying around at night, emitting lights from their backsides. This process is call bio luminescence and these guys use it to attract mates. Some female fireflies, however, use their lights to attract the males of other species for consumption.
#11: Trilobite Beetle
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I thought Trilobites were extinct!
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As their name suggests, these guys resemble the prehistoric trilobite. There appearance is far from the only weird thing about them, however. Only the females get the Cambrian appearance and they appear to retain their larval state throughout their lives. The males are much smaller and have a much smoother appearance.
#10: Dung Beetle
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| Well, somebody has to clean that waste off the jungle floors... |
I'm just gonna say it: Dung beetles eat the waste of larger animals. They roll the... "stuff" into little balls with their back legs. On a side note: these guys are the strongest animals proportionate to their size. They can move objects 1,141 times their own size!
#9: Titan Beetle
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| These guys are much larger than this image. |
These guys are among the largest insects on this planet, growing up to 16.7 cm in length. Their mandibles are strong enough to snap pencils in half and cut human skin. The adults don't feed, they just search for mates.
#8: Tiger Beetle
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| Watch these guys in action and you'll know why their named after Tigers! |
Tiger Beetles might be smaller than Titan Beetles, but they are nothing to laugh at. They can move 125 body lengths in a second, making them one of the fastest animals on Earth. The larvae wait in long burrows for prey to approach, while the adults run their meals down.
#7: Click Beetle
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| One click and this little bugger is outta here! |
These beetles can somersault there ways out of danger. To do this, they flex their bodies in a way that lets their spines quickly release with an audible click. Some species can also release light from the false eyes on their backs.
#6: Giraffe Weevil
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| This guy's neck is longer than the body that holds it. |
The males of this species have much longer necks than the females. They use their long necks for fighting and building nests. By rolling leaves around their necks, they can create protective tubes for the females to lay their eggs in.
#5: Diving Beetle
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| Mosquito larvae, beware! |
While most beetles will drown in water, these guys embrace the underwater life. They survive underwater by trapping air bubbles in their wing cases near their spiracles. They devour any aquatic animals they can overpower, with the larger species even taking down small fish.
#4: Jewel Beetle
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| Oooh, shiny. |
They may look like fancy decorations, but they are in fact animals. Their colorful shells are the result of structural coloration rather than pigments. Despite how fancy they look, they are perfectly happy boring into trees like other beetles.
#3: Parasitic Flat Bark Beetle
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| From parasite to standard beetle. |
These guys can be found beneath the bark of dead or dying hardwoods and conifers. What puts these guys on the list is their parasitic nature. The larvae are to wood-boring beetles what fleas are to cats and dogs: external parasites.
#2: Warrior Beetle
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| This guy's just itching to rip some other bug in half! |
These gladiators of the insect world are deserving of their names. The only things larger than their powerful mandibles and strong exoskeletons is their killing ability. They can even destroy scorpions and centipedes by themselves.
#1: Bombardier Beetle
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| Try to eat this guy and you'll be burnt! |
These guys get their name because they eject a hot noxious chemical spray from their abdomens when threatened. This spray is a combination of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, which is stored in separate reservoirs and combined when shot out. In short, these guys create chemical reactions within their own bodies to ward off predators.
There are way more types of beetles than this list shows. If you know of any unusual beetles you think should've been on this list, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.
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