Beetles are the largest group in the Animal Kingdom, representing about a fourth of all animals. Currently, more than 350,000 beetle species have been identified. Yet scientists who study beetles (coleopterists) are certain there are thousands more that have not been discovered yet! Find out more!

You may be familiar with some of the many different beetle species by their common names: ladybugs, June bugs, weevils, lightning bugs or fireflies, borers, and potato bugs. The body of the beetle consists of three main segments: head, thorax, and abdomen.

Beetles have lived on Earth for about 300 million years and can be found almost everywhere, from deserts to lakes, rain forests to polar ice caps. Most beetle species live on land.

They tunnel underground, or in wood, or in the carcasses of animals. Some live in the nests of ants and termites: the nest protects the beetle from predators, and the beetle keeps the area clean by eating the ants’ waste!

Beetles eat almost everything: plants, other insects, carcasses, pollen, and dung. Some beetles living in water eat small fish and tadpoles; Phosphuga atrata eats snails. Most beetles have a very good sense of smell to help them find food. Their front jaws, called mandibles, vary in size and shape, depending on the species.