The Ironclad Beetle: Armored Tank of the Insect World
If there is an unwanted beetle or cockroach running across your kitchen floor, what is your first reaction? For many of us, it might be to step on the intruder or smash it with a shoe. While that might work for the average bug, there is one beetle that would laugh at your pitiful attempt to smash it, since its armor is so tough. The diabolical ironclad beetle is one of the world’s toughest critters, and has a shell that is so strong it can get run over by a car and scuttle off with hardly a scratch. Just how strong is this rugged beetle’s armor? Researchers have discovered that the beetle can withstand pressure from loads that are 39,000 times its own body weight. To help us understand the…