SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
KLMNO
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from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick Beetle Metamorphosis
Growing up in stages Beetles are a kind of shape-shifter.
They take four different forms as they go through their lives. This process is called metamorphosis (me-tuh-MORE-fuh-sus). 1. Beetles begin
life as eggs. Most females lay the eggs in their habitat, which can
range from a tree trunk, to a dead animal, to a ball of animal poop. 2. The larva hatches from the egg.
It usually lives by eating the material the mom laid its egg in. Larvae look like
worms with legs and a head. They have no
wings. Asian longhorned beetle larvae from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Ready Resources The Mini Page provides ideas for websites,
books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.
On the Web: •
www.museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/ Scarabs-for-Kids/
home.html
•
www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Coleoptera/ •
www.dnr.wisconsin.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/critter/ index.htm
At the library: • “Nature Close-Up: Beetles” by Elaine Pascoe • “Beetles” by Shane F. McEvey
TM Beetles
LOSS REALLY BUGS ME!
HABITAT E G N I A
Asian longhorned beetle pupa
3. The pupa (PYOO-puh) needs to be protected by a covering. It can’t get away from predators. Some beetle
pupae might have little spikes or hairs to protect them. Some form a leaf covering or
dig a tiny room underground. Others might make a tough baglike covering from fluids in their bodies. 4. Inside the covering, the pupa changes to an adult. The adult then crawls out of its protective covering.
Adult Asian longhorned beetle
Asian lady beetle
This adult pink lady beetle is eating the eggs of a Colorado potato beetle.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
TRY ’N FIND
Words that remind us of beetles are hidden n the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: BRIGHT, COLORS, DAY, EAT, EGG, EGYPTIAN, GRUB, HABITAT, HELP, INSECTS, LARVA, LAY, LEG, METAMORPHOSIS, MOUNTAIN, MOUTH, PUPA, RECYCLERS, SCARAB, SPECIES, SUN, TREE, TROPICS, WINGS.
ES B U R G S R E L C Y C E R GI C L
T N U O M S
YH N A S G N I W H T U O M P PA P S R E S D S R OL O C E TB P L E A AU A A V R A L C II U L
E C B T N Y E E R T I
AT P A V H T S C I P O R T E NA A Y G G E S T H G I R B S ST S I S O H P R O M A T E M
Have you watched lightning bugs sparkling at night or ladybugs on a leaf? You have been watching beetles. Beetles are insects with hardened
Metallic leaf chafer, a type of scarab Chewing mouth parts
wing covers and chewing mouth parts. One out of every four species,or types, of living creatures on Earth is a beetle. The Mini Page talked with a beetle
expert to learn more about these fascinating insects.
Wing covers Beetles’ hardened wing covers
protect them like a suit of armor. They help keep them safe from predators, or animals that want to eat them. Wing covers also trap moisture
inside beetles’ bodies. This helps keep them from drying out.
A carabid beetle eats potato beetle eggs.
Life of a beetle A beetle often lives much longer in
its younger stages than in its adult stage. A larva could live for weeks to more than a year. A pupa might also live for many months. Adults live from weeks to months, depending on the kind of beetle and where it lives. The larvae, also known as grubs, usually eat the most. It is at this stage that beetles often cause the most damage to crops and trees. Beetles grow throughout the larval
stage. Larvae shed their outside skeletons several times as they get bigger.
© 2010 Universal Uclick Colorful and Strange July 18, 2010 from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick Behold the Beautiful Beetle!
Giraffe stag beetle (left), Hercules beetle, a type of scarab (right), king stag beetle (bottom)
Billions of beetles
Beetles’ mouths are designed for chewing and biting. They might use their powerful mouths to grab their prey, bite it and chew it up. This is different from many other insects that suck up their food instead. Beetles may also use their strong
mouth parts to chew holes in trees, crops and even carpets.
Experts say there are about 400,000 different species of beetles. They are on every continent except Antarctica. The warm, wet tropics are especially rich habitats for beetles. More species live there than anywhere else. However, people are destroying
the tropical forests where beetles live so quickly that there are probably hundreds of thousands more species we may never discover. One entire species of beetle can live
on one single tree and nowhere else. Or one entire species may live only on the side of one mountain. Since many beetles can live only in
one habitat, such as a tree, they can’t survive when they lose their homes.
photo courtesy USDA
photo courtesy USDA
photo courtesy USDA
photo by Peggy Greb, courtesy USDA
photo by Scott Bauer, courtesy USDA
photo by Rene Limoges, Insectarium Montreal, used by permission, courtesy University of Nebraska State Museum
de
photo by Peggy Greb, courtesy USDA
photo by Stephen Ausmus, courtesy USDA
Basset Brown The News Hound’s
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