Welcome To Beetleville: Episode 2
Say you have a hundred animal species lined up in front of you. How many do you think are beetles? Maybe five, two, four, possibly even ten! Well, there are actually around twenty. Beetles amazingly make up one fifth of all species of animals. Also, these six-legged awesome sauces are natural born celebrities. Ladybugs and fireflies are icons for their beauty and cuteness; Hercules beetles are known for their extreme size and horns; and jewel beetles are known for their iridescent magic. Sadly, many beetles just as deserving of stardom are rarely known by the public. That’s why I’m going to show you four amazing beetle species in this 616 word article.
First of all, you probably know about ladybugs, yet do you know about the smileyface lady beetle? It is an adorable variety of the world’s most famous beetle that many people have never heard of; however, these South African beauties deserve to be selling out Madison Square Garden! They’re a tiny type of ladybug with what appears to be a smiley face on their back! They commonly eat aphids and other small bugs, while frolicking with the equivalent of the Mona Lisa on their backs.
Second, you probably know about frogs, but did you know that there is a type of beetle that impersonates them? The male frog-legged beetle walks around with giant hind legs, just like frogs and toads! While you may think they jump from leaf to leaf while croaking, that isn’t true! They don’t make any noises, and they don’t jump with their legs. Their hind legs actually can slow them down sometimes. They mainly use them for wrestling and competition. Another cool thing about these beetles is that their exoskeletons are iridescent and glow magical shades of emerald and amethyst, which further shows how amazing they are.
Third, you probably know about water, but did you know there is a type of beetle that can dive into the water? The great diving beetle is an absolutely amazing beetle that is able to snorkel, trapping some air under their wing covers and going back up once it runs out every once in a while. These beetles are not fun for the other water civilians, however, as these beetles can eat tadpoles, newts, and even tiny fish. Their larvae are able to eat what the adults can, as well as other diving beetle larvae. The larvae use their mouthparts to inject digestive fluids into the prey, which liquifies them. These larvae are usually larger than the adults, which gives them the name ‘Water Tigers.” These amazing (unless you’re a fish) beetles usually live in Europe.
Fourth and last, you probably know about violins, but did you know that there is a type of beetle that looks just like a violin? The violin beetle is a stellar cutie that looks like it would live in a school’s band room! They look like this because they have evolved to fit inside tiny crevices, sliding into bracket fungi to wait for prey. Over time, this caused their wing covers to change shape, eventually looking like a string instrument. These beetles do not, actually, eat sheet music, but instead they eat larvae of other beetles, and sometimes their own larvae. If someone tries to play them, they use their defense mechanism by spraying acid with a bad odor all over the place. Also, they can bite.
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Thank you very much for reading this article, and make sure that if you see a tiny violin in the woods, don’t touch it!
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