As a result, A beetle that lives under tree bark can withstand crushing forces 39,000 times its body weight. It can withstand forces 39,000 times its body weight. Despite its name, the 'diabolical ironclad beetle' isn't in league with the devil. The diabolical ironclad beetle is so tough, in fact, that if you run one over with a car, it just walks away. The diabolical ironclad is not a notorious Civil War-era battleship, but a flightless inch-long beetle that thrives on the United States’ west coast. They make up about 40% of all insect species so far described, and about 25% of all animals. Scientists’ interest in the diabolical ironclad beetle is more than academic. The diabolical ironclad beetle has a specialized exoskeleton that allows it to withstand pressures up to 39,000 times its own body weight. Now researchers in the US have taken a good look at why the diabolical ironclad beetle earns that name – and the answer is actually a bit of a puzzle. Another unique fact about this beetle is that they do not have hind wings and their front wings, or elytra, are fused together. They can reach a length of 16 to 22 millimeters, and their color varies from light brown to dark grey. Boasting one of the strongest exoskeletons in the animal kingdom, this little guy is practically indestructible. Ironclad beetles (Phloeodes diabolicus) measure about 0.6 to 1 inch (15 to 25 millimeters) in length, and are found in woodland habitats in […] To actually crush this beetle requires 150 newtons of force, which, if you don’t speak fluent physics, is 7.5 times stronger than the force you can muster squeezing something between your thumb and index finger. Meet the diabolical ironclad beetle (pretty boss name, if you ask us). Delving deeper, Rivera and colleagues used CT and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the … The diabolical ironclad beetle, which is about 3 centimeters long and about 0.5 grams in weight, dwells mostly in oak trees in the West Coast of North America. The diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus) is one tough insect. Live Science tells about its lifestyle. The diabolical ironclad beetle is so tough, in fact, that if you run one over with a car, it just walks away. Ironclad Beetle is the Unsquishable Force. The diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand forces up to 39,000 times its body weight. The diabolical ironclad beetle is tough, and not only by name. It can withstand forces 39,000 times its body weight. Thanks to its almost indestructible body armor, this beetle can get stomped on or run over by a car and live to tell the tale. The diabolical ironclad beetle has a shell so tough it can be survive being run over by a car. Diabolical ironclad beetles are mainly found in dry and barren environments along the west coast of the United States. If ever there were an insect deserving of superhero status, it’d be the diabolical ironclad beetle. But why? It's only about two centimeters long, but built like a tiny top-0f-the-line military tank—capable of surviving being run over by your car, according to an Oct. 2020 study published in the journal Nature.Yes, this is an actual scientific fact—and one that could lead to groundbreaking engineering innovations. The diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand forces up to 39,000 times its body weight. There are about 400,000 species of beetles; new species are discovered frequently. And its design, they say, could help inspire more durable structures and vehicles. Scientists developing new materials are studying an unlikely source of strength: The diabolical ironclad beetle, which can withstand being run over by a car. Some varieties, such as the desert ironclad beetle (Absolus verrucosus) and the frighteningly-named diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus) can be found in west and southwestern states, as well as Mexico. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek, koleos, meaning "sheath", and pteron, meaning "wing", thus "sheathed wing." Beetles are a group of insects which are biologically classified in the order Coleoptera. Well... should we say most bugs. The tiny bug can withstand 40,000 times its body weight, which means you can literally run it over with your car and not destroy it. To actually crush this beetle requires 150 newtons of force, which, if you don’t speak fluent physics, is 7.5 times stronger than the force you can muster by squeezing something between your thumb and index finger. Quite a lot. “The diabolical ironclad beetle has strategies to circumvent these limitations,” Restrepo said. In fact it does no harm – unlike carpet beetles that chew on fabrics, and weevils that ruin food. The answer? The beetles are mainly seen in the months April and May hanging out under the bark of oaks. The diabolical ironclad beetle is found in the forests of North America's Pacific coast. Entomologists know that the beetle’s exoskeleton is so tough that it can bend the steel pins used to mount specimens of insects for display. The 'diabolical ironclad beetle' can withstand enormous crushing force more than 39,000 times its own body weight, enough to survive being run over by a car. Looking like it was forged in apocalyptic fires, the diabolical ironclad beetle has a formidable reputation for being able to withstand being stabbed or run over by a car. This diabolical ironclad beetle can survive being run over by a car Scientists are unraveling the mystery of a bug with one of the coolest names in the animal kingdom: the diabolical ironclad beetle . The diabolical ironclad beetle may sound like a science fiction creation but it is very real. Write All About It is a platform for writers to share their voices through topics that excite them, while plugging in and building a community of resources. It has lost the ability to fly, so its super-strong exoskeleton is evolution's compensation for the fact that it can't flee its predators. It can withstand forces 39,000 times its body weight. The diabolical ironclad beetle not only plays dead and has a rough textured exoskeleton that blends in with surrounding rocks, but its survival mechanisms also include an exoskeleton that is legendary for being tough. Barclay added that while most beetles lived for only a matter of weeks, the diabolical ironclad could live for about seven or eight years. Fortunately, for insect fearing humans, bugs are pretty easy to defeat with a well placed stomp. 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