There are 300 000 known species of beetles.
A beetles hard outer casing, is like armour.
The smallest insect is the winged beetle.
It is so small, it can sit on a pinhead.
The largest beetle is the Hercules beetle
and it can grow up to 17cm long.
Ladybirds are beetles.
Not all beetles can fly.
Fireflies are not really flies,
they are beetles. The females put on a light show as they flash
bodies to attract a mate. They are able to do this with chemicals
in their body.
Dung beetles go to a lot of trouble to make a safe home. The dung balls are rolled in the underground home. The eggs are laid in the dung. When the eggs hatch the babies eat the dung.
A close-up shot of a beetle called a weevil
reveals its long, curved snout called a rostrum. This has tiny
jaws at the end for biting up pieces of leaf and plant.
For self defence, the blister beetle oozes
a highly itchy substance from its jointed legs to repel any would-be
predators.
