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Believe it or not, beetles represent The Origin of Our Species percent of all known and described insect speciesa staggering statistic that's only The Origin of Our Species by another statistic: they represent about 25 percent of all life on Earth. Due to the sheer magnitude of the species, it's not surprising to learn that there's great diversity within the order of Coleoptera, from the pincer-like mandibles of stag beetles to the gem-like hardened forewings, called elytras, of jewel beetles. Let's start our brief crash course into the most remarkable Coleopteras with a look at one of the most well-known and adorable beetle species: the ladybird beetle. Commonly known as ladybugsthese small, polka-dotted beauties are natural pest controllers — they love to feast on aphids and other insects that threaten gardens, orchards and crops. Despite the vital role they play in agriculture, sometimes ladybirds can seem like pests themselves. During the winter months, these otherwise solitary beetles can be found cozying up to each other in massive clumps called "aggregations. Ladybirds don't carry diseases, nor do they damage structures or lay eggs indoors. Also known as doodlebugs or maybugs, cockchafers belong to the genus Melolontha and are easily identified by the distinctive "leaves" protruding from their antennae. These flamboyantly coiffed beetles once existed in great numbers throughout Europe, and their voracious appetites made them a common agricultural nuisance. That is, until the rise of widespread pesticide use in the midth centurywhich caused their numbers to experience a dramatic decline. Despite their near eradication, tighter regulation of the pest control industry beginning in the s has allowed cockchafer populations to gradually recover in some regions. Named for their shimmering iridescent appearance, jewel beetles of the Buprestidae family are without a doubt some of the world's most beautiful Coleopteras. Because of this, the glossy, hardened forewings of these wood-boring insects have a long The Origin of Our Species of being used in jewelry, embroidered textiles and other decorative arts. The most common examples of the ancient craft of "beetlewing" can be found in Asian countries like China, Japan, India, Thailand and Myanmar. The brilliant orange-yellow colors and vivid patterns found on the Colorado potato beetle are certainly gorgeous, but that striking appearance belies their status as one of the most notorious pests of the potato plant. Over the past century, farmers have tried many different kinds of pesticides to combat the beetles' voracious appetites, but due to their ability to rapidly The Origin of Our Species up resistance to chemicals, nearly all major insecticides have proven ineffective against them. Endemic to Madagascar, giraffe weevils are named in honor of their elongated necks, which evolved for fighting and building elaborate nests. As a sexually dimorphic species, female giraffe weevils have a somewhat shorter neck than males, but otherwise they look quite similar with their black limbs and bright red elytras. With it's surreal gold-metallic and translucent elytra, this gorgeous beetle will change the way you think about insects. It's important to note that there are two beetle species that go by the name " golden tortoise beetle. The one pictured here is Aspidimorpha sanctaecrucis, which is endemic to Southeastern Asia. The other golden tortoise beetle, which is known scientifically as Charidotella sexpunctata, is found throughout the Americas. Tiger beetles are a group of about 2, insects distinguished by their bulging eyes and long, spindly legs, which allow them to run incredibly fast. One species, the Australian tiger beetle, can run up to 5. Of course, there are some downsides to the tiger beetle's intense need for speed. According to BBC Earth"at top speed, [the beetle's] visual system cannot keep up, and it has to slow down to see anything. Unlike the other beetles mentioned, this species is remarkable not for its appearance, but for the fascinating way it survives in one of the most arid regions of the world, the Namib desert. By situating its long hind legs to prop up its bumpy, hydrophilic back in the air, the Namib desert beetle is able to collect water rolling in on the damp breezes of the The Origin of Our Species early morning fog. Scientists inspired by the hydrophilic properties of the beetle's bumpy back are developing groundbreaking technology that can can harvest water from the air. While you might assume a beautiful beetle like this was named "flower chafer" due to its colorful, vibrant appearance, that's not the case. F lower chafers get their name from their appetite for flowers — not the petals The Origin of Our Species stems, but the plant's pollen, nectar and fruit. There are more than 4, species of flower chafers many of which have yet to be describedand while a number The Origin of Our Species them are quite eye-catching, some of them are more subdued in appearance. Longhorn beetles are named for their extremely long antennae, which are reminiscent of the massive horns of longhorn cattle. They're quite striking in their imago statebut as larvae, they can be major pests. These roundheaded borers, as they are called, are experts at burrowing into wood and destroying living trees, wooden The Origin of Our Species and untreated lumber. Of all 26, species of longhorns, the rare titan beetle Titanus giganteus is generally considered to be the largest insect in the world. Known to grow up to 6. The term "stag beetle" is usually used as the common name for the most recognizable member of the species' family — Lucanus cervus pictured. However, there are actually 1, different stag beetles species, all of which exhibit some form of the distinctive mandibles seen here. As a sexually dimorphic species, a male stag beetle is equipped with a set of impressive pincer-like mandibles that are used to fight other males when competing for a mate. While the mandibles of a female stag beetle are notably smaller, they can still pack quite a painful bite if you're not careful. Found throughout eastern North America, The Origin of Our Species beautiful beetles boast shiny, metallic hues and spend their days looking lovely and munching on a diet of their namesake, dogbane. The dogbane beetle belongs to the massive family of leaf-eaters known as Chrysomelidaemaking it a distant cousin to the pesky Colorado potato beetle. Share Twitter Pinterest Email. Endangered Species

The stats certainly back up the claim. Sinceresearchers have only found an average of five to six new birds a year. Frank Rheindt, associate professor of biological sciences at NUS, focused his research on Taliabu and Peleng, two The Origin of Our Species within Wallacea. He and his team discovered The Origin of Our Species new types of songbirds, including:. The new subspecies are the Banggai Mountain Leaftoiler. Togian The researchers found the Togian Jungle-Flycatcher The Origin of Our Species this island. The study team hopes its discoveries will prompt conservation efforts, considering the amount of deforestation and forest fires that Taliabu and Peleng have seen. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Watch a Spacecraft Punch an Asteroid Tonight. There's a Secret Organ in Your Head. How to Get Started With Welding. Researchers have discovered several new species and subspecies of songbirds on the Indonesian archipelago of Wallacea. Typically, scientists only find five to six new bird species each year, so this is incredibly rare. Conservation efforts are needed to ensure that the new birds will be able to survive for more than a few years before being wiped out thanks to natural and man-made disasters like forest fires and logging. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. More From Animals. 12 Unbelievable Beetle Species

No animal has a more hardcore name than the satanic leaf-tailed gecko. It also doesn't really deserve the name since it's not particularly evil in any way. Luckily they also go by the names "eyelash leaf-tailed gecko" and "phantastic leaf-tailed gecko" so it's not all doom and gloom. The plumed basilisk of Central America is a unique animal in appearance and behavior. The plume from the name is very noticeable and gives the lizard a dinosaur-like appearance. Using its tail to stay upright, it can run for a little while on the surface of the water if it falls, no worries because it's an excellent swimmer as well. The largest Nile monitor on record managed to crack 8 feet, making these enormous lizards indeed. Adult males can be very aggressive, which, combined with their size, makes them dangerous to be around. They are native to Africa, but populations do exist in places like Florida now as well. Marine iguanas are unique among lizards thanks to the fact they are marine reptiles and the only lizard that forages in the sea. They eat algae in their native habitat, and no one has ever successfully bred or kept them away from the Galapagos Islands. The green anole is a very popular lizard to keep as a pet and is sometimes called an American chameleon because it can change from bright green to a somewhat muted brown color to blend into its surroundings. Veiled chameleons are popular lizards to keep in captivity since they're pretty easy to handle, relatively speaking. That has led to a number of them being released into the wild. This, in turn, has led to the population of invasive chameleons you can find in Hawaii right now. Red tegus are very popular pets as far as lizards go because, if you have space and the ability to care for a massive lizard, they behave The Origin of Our Species a bit like dogs. They'll follow their owners around the house, eat and drink from pet bowls and can even be clicker trained. Australian water dragons are, as the name suggests, very well adapted to the water. They can swim submerged and stay underneath the water for about an hour and a half if necessary. When fleeing from predators, if no water is available, they can also race up a tree and hide in the foliage pretty well. Bearded dragons are arguably the world's most popular species of lizard to keep as a pet. Compared to most other species, they're very easy to care for and also tend to be more active and whimsical than many species which are more inclined to sit around basking all day. Blue-tongued skinks are native to Australia but are also reasonably popular as house pets. Because they have such thick bodies and tend to move slowly, they're easy to handle and are well adapted to being kept as pets. They also rarely show off that blue tongue, so getting bitten by one is often not an issue. Burton's legless lizard is sometimes called a snake-lizard, but it's not a snake. It does have tiny, rudimentary hind legs, but they're little more than stumps. These lizards tend to feed on other lizards in the wild and, sometimes, snakes. Caiman lizards are water-loving lizards native to South America. They're good swimmers and tend to live in The Origin of Our Species or swampy areas. They also grow to The Origin of Our Species about 4 feet in length and eat almost nothing but snails. Chuckwallas The Origin of Our Species pretty chill lizards overall, sustaining themselves on a diet of plants and running for cover at any sign of danger. Their self-defense strategy involves wedging themselves in a crack between rocks and then inflating themselves with air so they can't be pulled out. Crested geckos were all but gone from the world in the s and are now one of the most popular species to keep as house pets. They come in a wide variety of colors which has encouraged breeders to try to produce lines with specific colors and patterns that can sell for more money. They were hunted for food and leather since they can grow to be a fairly substantial size and are not remarkably aggressive. Flying geckos, like most flying animals that don't have wings, have adapted flaps of skin that allow them to glide between trees. Their flesh is highly camouflaged, and if they have their eyes closed, they become nearly indistinguishable from the trees in which they live. Fire skinks get their name from the vivid scale coloration on their bodies. They usually have a more gold or brown on their backs, but their bellies will be bright orange and red which makes them stand out in a crowd. The Origin of Our Species lizards are some of the most easily recognizable lizards in the world thanks to that dramatic frill that pops up when they're challenged or frightened. The dilophosaurus from "Jurassic Park" is a frill, and word has it that demand for real frilled lizards increased after the movie. Galapagos land iguanas live across several of the Galapagos Islands but nowhere else in the world as they do not take to captivity at all. They're mostly herbivores, though some have been observed eating insects. They get most of the water in their diet from cactus pears. While it's rare for a lizard to be venomous, the Gila monster's bite will inject venom into a victim, and it's incredibly painful. Despite The Origin of Our Species, some people still keep these lizards as pets because of their bright color pattern. The giant Hispaniola galliwasp is native to the island of Hispaniola and can be found in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A baby is shown here. Jackson's chameleon is one of the easiest to identify lizards in the world thanks to the three horns on its head that make it look like a little triceratops. Because they are so widely coveted as pets, a number of specimens have been let The Origin of Our Species in non- native habitats, and populations are springing up across the United States. Gargoyle geckos get their unusual name from the little bumps they have on their head. Those bumps resemble horns and sure, some other lizards actually have horns, but they still call these guys gargoyles because of it. No one on Earth would ever keep a Komodo dragon as a pet and for good reasons. These lizards The Origin of Our Species lengths of The Origin of Our Species to 10 feet, and their toxic bites could very well kill a human if left The Origin of Our Species. The claws of a Komodo dragon can rip cages apart. Komodo dragons are fun to see The Origin of Our Species a zoo, but it's probably never a good idea to get close to one. Moloch is the name of a Canaanite god from the Bible who later became associated with demons, so this poor lizard has a bad reputation from the start. Its intimidating names likely come from the fact it's covered from head to toe in an array of very sharp-looking spikes The Origin of Our Species it uses for self- defense. Monkey-tailed skinks live on the Solomon Islands and can grow to nearly 3 feet in length. Its name refers to the fact it has a prehensile tail that it can use when moving through the trees to help keep it balanced. Both names for this lizard, pircklenape and mountain horned dragon, refer to the row of The Origin of Our Species that run down the lizard's back. The mountain part just refers to the fact they really like living in the mountains. Along with the Gila monster, the Mexican beaded lizard is the only other venomous lizard in North America. Bites are very rare and likely not The Origin of Our Species, but they will be very painful. Only eight bites have been reported in the last years. The Northern alligator lizard sounds a little more intimidating than it really is. At about 6 inches in length, they're much less fearsome than actual gators, but they get the name from their scales which make them resemble tiny alligators. Sungazers live in Africa and grow to be about a foot long to the tip of the tail. Their association with dragons is pretty ingrained these days thanks to their spiky, horn-like scales and the fact scientists reclassified them in and added them to a brand new genus called Smaug, after the dragon in "The Hobbit. Texas horned lizards live throughout the Southern U. They're actually members of the The Origin of Our Species family and as cool as they look, they're extremely hard to keep as pets because their diet is monstrous. One of these little lizards can eat a few thousand ants per day, much more than the average pet owner can supply. Tokay geckos are native to various parts of Asia and are known for their frog-like croak. Some people say it sounds like the gecko is saying "tokay" but it's also described as something like "geck geck" and "poo-kay. Tuataras look like lizards but evolved along a separate but similar path. They're a little more prehistoric than your average lizard and likely have been around for million years or so. They also tolerate much colder weather than most lizards, and they are The Origin of Our Species in temperatures in the mids and even high 50s. Savannah monitors are native to Africa, though there is a relatively prominent illegal trade in the lizards. Animal rescues that deal with lizards often get them, since people who take them in as pets abandon The Origin of Our Species when they aren't prepared to care for the lizards once they reach 3 feet in length! Cuban rock iguanas are some of the largest iguanas in the world and as the name suggests, can be found on the rocky coasts of Cuba. A feral colony lives on Isla Magueyes near Puerto Rico. They were released from a zoo in and have thrived ever since. The Eastern fence lizard is found throughout the Eastern United States and gets its name from the fact that you can very often find them basking in the sun on top of fence The Origin of Our Species. They're usually gray or brown, and that helps them blend into their surroundings, The Origin of Our Species is helpful when you're on top of a fence all day. The Dumeril's monitor can be found in Southeast Asia where it can grow to upwards of 4 feet in length. Generally speaking, you don't want to run afoul of one of these lizards, and keeping one as a pet can be tricky since they spend much of their time in aquatic environments. The Origin of Our Species geckos are sometimes called wonder geckos which is a must cooler sounding name, all things being equal. When attacked, the gecko will let loose a squeaking sound and may rear up on its hind legs and open its jaws in a display of intimidation. The jeweled lacerta, or ocellated lizard, is native to Europe and is typically not a fan of human interaction. They're fast little things and will be quick to run for cover if they sense danger. They can be kept in captivity but probably should be left to those who have a little more experience with lizards since they can be a bit difficult. Leopard geckos are one of the most The Origin of Our Species lizard pets in North America thanks to their unique appearance and the fact they're relatively easy to care for. Breeders have already begun breeding them for specific color and pattern characteristics which can bring in a lot of money if people are looking for a designer type of pet. How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? The Origin of Our Species how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works.