one of the most beautiful insects
in the animal kingdom.
With over 15,000 species, jewel beetles get their name
because of the colorful and iridescent sheen
on their backs.
The sparkly colors come from nanostructures on their
exoskeletons and scales that refract light at different
wavelengths.
Which means the colors look different from different angles
and under different light, making the beetles
hard to spot.
Stunning, right?
"Well, yes ma'am it is."
But these aren't the only beetles with
extraordinary characteristics.
From beetles who drink fog
to those who release hot stinky poop that can burn
human skin, here are our top nine picks
for the most bizarre beetles.
which has an elongated head and a flat leaf-shaped body.
They are mostly found in Southeastern Asian
rainforests and can secrete foul-smelling liquids
to keep away potential predators.
But that's probably the only thing to worry about as they
aren't dangerous to humans.
which, quite obviously, lives in the Namib Desert
in Southwestern Africa.
Because of the extremely dry climate, these insects have
found a unique way to collect water.
They fog bask, which involves water droplets from fog
falling on their abdomen and rolling down their wings
to trickle into their mouths.
Ah, that's the life, isn't it?
After decades of study, scientists are now close to
mimicking this all-natural tech for water-collection devices.
found in Southeast Asia.
This little bug is ultra-white in color,
with many of them whiter than paper.
Their dazzling appearance is created by scales all over their
body made of randomly oriented filaments
that reflect light.
And now we come to the more dangerous ones.
Say hello to this carnivorous aquatic beetle that can stay
underwater for up to 30 minutes on air
stored in its body.
These divers are quite the attackers. They hunt tadpoles,
tiny invertebrates and even small fish.
They can also bite humans, but those bites are
pretty harmless.
To go along with their diet of decaying plant material,
they also hunt insects and snails.
Certain members of their family,
such as the giant water bug, have large front pincers.
When disturbed, the beetle may bite a person,
which can be very painful.
named after its bomb-like explosive
defense mechanism.
When cornered, it releases boiling hot and stinky liquid
out of its rear end which can irritate the eyes
and respiratory system of predators.
That's sizzling enough to burn human skin. Ouch.
As the name suggests, this beetle will seek out animal
manure to feed on.
It is incredibly strong, with the ability to move a ball of dung
more than 50 times its own weight.
which truly lives up to its name. It is among the largest
and strongest beetles in the world.
Part of the rhinoceros beetle family, it can carry up to 850
times its mass.
Despite its size, the Hercules beetle isn't dangerous
to other animals and mostly feeds on dead wood
or rotting fruit.
Although the males do bring out their horns
to fight over the females. Talk about Herculean romance.
To know more about this incredibly strong insect,
watch our episode about how Hercules beetles
sound like lawnmowers.
From colorful exteriors to explosive poop
and carnivorous appetites,
these tiny bugs definitely have some
bizarre characteristics.
And that's what makes them Crazy Creatures.