Beetle Facts

1. Over 300,000 species of beetles live on the earth and over

12,000 beetles live in the U.K.

2. Beetles have a hard shell and four wings.

3. Some beetles cause a lot of damage by eating crops,

wood and food.

Others help us by pollinating crops or eating harmful

insects.

4. Beetles come in many sizes and shapes. The Titan beetle

from South Americacan grow up to 8 inches long, while

the Goliath beetle is usually about five inches long. The

smallest beetle, the feather wing beetle, can’t be seen

without a microscope.

5. Beetles come in a lot of colors. Beetles can be bright

yellow, green, red, orange or purple. They can have stripes or

spots.

6. Beetles are one of the world’s oldest animals. They have

been here for over 300,000 years.

Beetles live everywhere – from hot deserts to the polar ice

caps. 7. Most beetles have protective defences to defend

themselves against predators.

8. Ladybirds/Ladybugs are also Beetles, they can squirt a

yellow blood; some ground beetles squirt acid that burns the

skin and eyes.

9. One beetle in Africa is very poisonous. African tribes there

use this poison on their darts.

10. Beetles go through metamorphosis just like all insects.

They start as eggs and hatch into larvae.

The larvae look like ugly little worms. They’re sometimes

called grubs. Later, beetles enter a pupa stage and transform

into adult beetles.