\h\hNARRATOR: The beetle...
...undisputed master
of the insect world,
\haccounting for every fourth animal species on the planet.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Beetles are the world’s \h\hfastest insects,
\h\h\h\hand among its most ruthless hunters.
Some wield chemical weapons.
\h\h\h\h\hOthers evade danger with extraordinary acrobatics.
How did the humble beetle
\h\h\h\hachieve such astonishing success?
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\h\h\h\hSpringtime in southern Germany...
Deep in a forest,
\h\ha giant among beetles emerges from underground.
\h\h\hIt’s a bit of a freak in the world of European beetles.
Reaching more than \h\h3 inches long,
\h\hit’s Europe’s biggest and most extraordinary beetle...
...the stag beetle.
The male has huge jaws \h\hresembling antlers,
which give the species its name.
An enticing scent
lures the newly emerged male
up off the forest floor.
\h\h\h\hIt’s the scent of fermenting tree sap,
\h\h\hand he heads straight for the trunk of an oak tree
in search of this sugary fluid.
This is his primary \h\hsource of food;
with his extremely \h\hdeformed jaws,
he can’t eat anything \h\h\h\h\hbut liquid.
\h\h\h\h\h\hThe females are half the size of the males,
\h\h\h\h\hand don’t sport any elaborate head gear.
\h\h\hLike the males, they live for no more
than 8 weeks.
Their short, adult lives
are dedicated to one goal only: reproducing.
\h\h\h\hBut, attracted by this female’s pheromones,
two males have appeared \h\h\h\h\hon the stage.
The males’ antlers have evolved for one purpose only...
...to fight.
\hThe right to procreate has to be won in battle.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\hIf one of them is clearly outgunned,
the loser withdraws \h\hwithin seconds.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBut these two are roughly the same size;
\h\h\h\h\h\htheir fight could last for minutes.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: But it’s not a fight \h\h\hto the death;
\h\h\hthe goal here is to throw your opponent out of the ring.
As with all beetles,
their exoskeleton acts as armor,
and serious injuries are rare.
The winner hurries to claim his prize.
Over the course of the summer,
this male will fight \h\h\h\hmore battles
\h\h\hand mate with up to eight different females.
Mating among stag beetles \h\h\h\h\h\h\htakes time,
and can last up to 10 minutes.
\h\h\h\hHis enormous jaws help to herd the females
into the right position.
Immediately after mating,
they go their separate ways.
\h\hThe impregnated female will disappear into the forest alone
\h\h\hto bury about 20 eggs underground.
Shortly thereafter, \h\h\hshe will die.
\hBeetles can look bizarre and clumsy,
but they’re among the oldest
and most successful creatures on earth.
Modern day beetles evolved during the Triassic period,
more than 240 million years ago.
\h\h\hAmber, which is fossilized tree resin,
acts like a time capsule,
perfectly preserving \h\hancient beetles,
\h\h\h\hwhich were trapped in the honey-colored resin
hundreds of millions \h\h\h\hof years ago.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\hMany beetle species have hardly changed over that time,
which is remarkable...
...because when beetles \h\h\h\hfirst emerged,
\h\h\h\h\hthe world was a very different place.
\h\hThere was only one single contiguous continent, Pangea,
and the climate was far hotter
and drier than it is today.
\hFlowering plants had yet to evolve,
so a single color dominated \h\h\h\h\hall plant life...
...green.
\hMassive horsetail trees and giant ferns covered the land.
There are still a few remnants \h\h\hfrom this long-past time.
\h\h\h\h\h\hThe ginkgo tree is a living fossil from that era.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSince then, super volcano eruptions,
\hasteroid impacts, and other natural cataclysms
\h\h\h\hhave devastated life on the planet more than once.
But beetles have defied \h\h\h\hevery disaster.
And they didn’t just survive,
\h\h\h\h\hthey thrived and went on to conquer
almost every habitat on Earth.
The success of beetles
has fascinated biologists \h\h\h\h\hfor centuries.
\hTheir collections capture the incredible diversity of beetles,
the largest order \hof all animals.
Nevertheless,
beetles don’t necessarily look \h\hlike evolutionary winners,
\hso what made such an awkward looking creature so successful?
The cockchafer, or May bug, \h\h\h\h\h\hholds the clue.
It’s like an early \hbeetle prototype.
Its body is more compact than most other insects,
\h\h\hwith a simple yet strong anatomy.
\h\h\h\hThe greatest asset is the shield covering the body,
which is fused with the back
\h\h\h\hand extends under the hardened front cover.
It’s a tough, rigid design
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthat protects the May bug’s inner organs.
\h\h\h\hIts suit of armor might make him ponderous,
but it turns the May bug \h\hinto a mini tank...
...a tank, that can fly.
Hard-shelled outer wings, \h\h\h\h\hcalled elytra,
unfold first.
\h\hThey protect a flexible second set of inner wings.
After take-off,
the stiff forewings \h\hgenerate lift,
helping the May bug \hto stay airborne,
while the flexible back wings \h\h\h\hact like propellers.
Thanks to its armor,
\h\h\h\han occasional crash - even from a great height -
doesn’t do any lasting damage.
The May bug simply folds up its wings,
\hlooks for another suitable launch pad, and tries again.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\h\hThe evolution of the simple-yet-tough beetle body
opened up a host of opportunities,
and beetles were quick \h\h\hto take advantage
of any new ecological niche \h\h\h\h\h\h\hthat emerged.
They diversified rapidly,
\h\hcolonizing new habitats and exploiting unique food sources.
\h\hToday, beetles are the undisputed leaders
of the animal kingdom,
constituting almost a quarter of all known animal species.
\h\h\h\hAbout 380,000 species have been described to date,
with hundreds of new ones \hdiscovered every year.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \hTheir diversity of color and form is so impressive,
\h\h\h\hit led Scottish evolutionary biologist
John Haldane to declare,
"God seems to have a special \h\h\h\hfondness for beetles.
They must surely be ’God’s Darlings’."
Their triumph began on land.
\hAnd for about a fifth of all European beetles, that means...
...trees.
One of them is a particularly \h\heye-catching specimen...
...the great capricorn beetle.
Its antennae are twice the length of its body,
though scientists \hdon’t know why.
The great capricorn beetle
selects one big healthy oak tree as its residence,
and stays on it for life.
Like the stag beetle,
it feeds on the tree’s sap.
\h\h\hIts offspring live under the bark,
feeding on the wood of the tree,
for up to five years.
Trees are the preferred habitat for many beetle species.
In an undisturbed European forest,
a single oak tree can be home to up to 650 beetle species.
Beetles have conquered virtually every corner of the world.
They call alpine regions \h\h\h\h\h\h\htheir home,
as well as dry deserts.
But they don’t limit themselves to living on land.
They have also conquered \h\h\hthe water world.
There are more than 3,000 known species of aquatic beetles,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hamong them the great diving beetle,
which lives in ponds and lakes
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthroughout the northern hemisphere.
Besides a streamlined body,
its most obvious adaptation \h\h\h\hto underwater life
is a pair of feathered rear legs
that have evolved into oars and help it maneuver under water.
But without gills,
the great diving beetle \hcannot breathe water,
\h\h\h\h\h\hand periodically has to come up to the surface
in order to take in air.
\h\h\hIt traps the air beneath its wing case,
which it uses like a scuba tank.
\h\h\h\hThis bubble of air allows it to stay submerged
for about 30 minutes.
Like an underwater wolf,
\h\h\h\h\h\hit hunts sick and weak water dwellers,
and also eats carrion.
\h\h\h\h\hIt has short but sharp mandibles...
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h...and can inject digestive enzymes into its prey.
This monstrous looking creature
\h\h\h\his the larval form of the great diving beetle.
It’s a fast, agile swimmer
and also a voracious \hunderwater hunter,
but, like the adults,
\h\h\h\h\h\hit must return to the surface to breathe.
In the spring,
its main food source
is tadpoles.
However, after millions \hof years of success,
these beetles are struggling.
Dwindling amphibian populations in Central Europe
\h\hmake life harder for the great diving beetles.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWith food in ever-shorter supply,
who knows how long they will survive.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\h\h\h\hWhile some beetles have evolved to become aquatic,
\h\hothers can tolerate the opposite extreme...
...arid, desert habitats,
where the sand can reach
120 degrees Fahrenheit \h\h\hduring the day.
Here, tiger beetles flit \hfrom shadow to shadow.
The fastest can reach speeds \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hof up to
five and a half miles per hour,
\hcovering 120 times the length of its body in a single second.
If a sprinter wanted to match the beetle,
they’d have to run
at 480 miles per hour.
The tiger beetle has sharp eyes
to spot the insects on which it preys.
But its incredible speed \h\h\h\hmeans the beetle
often can’t see its prey \h\hwhile it’s in motion.
To get a fix on its victim,
it must first come to a stop.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \hThe word "beetle" comes from the Old English word "bitula,"
meaning "little biter."
Looking at this beetle,
\h\h\h\h\hit becomes clear why they earned this name.
When hunting, the tiger beetle \h\h\h\his always on the move.
Its larva, on the other hand,
\hhas a completely different strategy.
It lurks in a burrow \h\hdug in the sand,
hiding from unsuspecting prey...
...ready to strike at anything \h\h\hthat ventures too close.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Only if they’ve eaten recently
\hdo they withdraw into their burrows
and pose no threat \hto any passerby.
But, if they are hungry,
they are ready to strike \hwith incredible speed.
This ant is lucky;
the larva misjudged its strike
\h\h\hand unintentionally propelled it into safety.
But usually the larvae succeed \h\hin snatching their victims
from the surface and dragging \h\hthem into their lairs...
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: ...where they kill them
with their powerful mandibles
and suck them dry.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Over millions of years,
the animal kingdom has produced a huge variety of predators,
\h\h\h\h\h\hand beetles have their fair share of hunters.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOne of them is easily recognizable...
...the seven-spot European ladybug.
\h\h\h\h\h\hIt can eat up to 50 aphids a day.
\h\h\h\h\hIn the Middle Ages, it was thought the little bug
\h\h\h\hwas on a mission from "Our Lady," the Virgin Mary,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hto destroy pests that plagued the farmer’s crops.
Hence the name...
...ladybug.
Despite their chaste namesake,
adult ladybugs pursue only two activities:
hunting and procreating.
There are more than 6,000 different ladybug species
around the world.
\hThe Asian ladybug is a close relative,
distinguished by the white and black shield behind its head.
\h\h\h\h\hIt’s an even more proficient hunter.
It can chomp through up to 250 aphids in a single day.
\hSuch killing efficiency led to it being exported from Asia
to Europe and North America
as a biological pest control \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hin the 1990s.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hUnfortunately, the Asian ladybug turned out
to be a hyper-efficient \h\h\hbreeder as well,
producing up to 3,500 \hoffspring a year...
\h\h\h...eight times more than its European cousin.
With no natural predators,
its population has skyrocketed.
Both species usually coexist peacefully,
but, if the aphid population falls,
the larvae of the Asian Ladybug often satisfies
\hits voracious appetite a little closer to home.
It turns cannibalistic
and eats the eggs and larvae \h\h\hof its European cousin.
\hOnly a few decades after its introduction from Asia,
it’s become a pest itself,
though in evolutionary terms,
\h\h\hit’s simply fitter than the native species.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Beetles are world champions in exploiting every food resource
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hand using every environmental niche available.
The floor of a temperate forest is a very diverse ecosystem,
\hfilled with life and possibilities.
\h\h\h\hOne family of beetles has adapted to it completely.
In the course of evolution,
the Golden Ground Beetle
has lost its ability to fly.
But, while its locomotion \h\h\h\h\h\h\his limited,
its diet is broad.
It lives on fungi and carrion \h\hand even small animals...
...like snails.
Snails make a highly nutritious - albeit slimy - meal,
but first you have to get \h\h\h\hpast that shell.
\h\hThe snail is too slow to escape most predators,
but it has a secret weapon....
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: ...it secretes a thick, \h\hfoul-tasting mucus.
To reach the snail’s flesh,
the Golden Ground Beetle
must try to fight its way
through the goop.
\h\h\h\hThe mucus soon covers its face and clogs its mouth,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hmaking attack a rather sticky situation.
It’s enough to deter \h\h\hthis predator.
The beetle gives up and resorts to cleaning itself up instead.
A clogged mouth is bad enough...
...but the antennae
are the most important
sensory organs for beetles.
\hIt must clean them before the mucus dries and hardens,
otherwise it will lose its ability to smell,
\h\h\hand that would be a death sentence.
\h\h\h\hThe snail lives to fight another day...
...but not for long.
This beetle,
the Black Snail Hunter,
\h\h\h\hcould be seen as the snail’s arch nemesis.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: The slime trick is useless \h\hagainst this predator.
Its jaws are lined \h\hwith brushes,
perfectly adapted to deal \hwith the sticky mess...
\h\h...and it seems to like the taste.
Once the beetle has finished \h\hits slimy hors d’oeuvres,
\h\h\hit will crawl into the shell for the entrée.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\h\h\h\hBeetles might be the most successful insects,
but they’re not invincible.
In a split second,
hunters can become the hunted.
Beetles are readily available \h\h\hand highly nutritious.
\h\h\h\hThey’re an important food source for many animals,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hsuch as the Great spotted woodpecker.
Like many animals,
it preys on both the beetles \h\h\h\h\hand their larvae.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: While forests may present
a wealth of food sources \h\h\h\h\h\hfor beetles,
\h\hthey also present a wealth of enemies.
\h\h\h\h\h\hTo survive, beetles have developed
a diversity of strategies.
Flying is usually the safest option.
But for a small creature \h\h\h\h\hlike a beetle,
hiding is a natural alternative.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: But one beetle has developed
a very extraordinary trick \h\h\hto escape predators,
\h\h\heven when they fall directly into harm’s way.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\hA beetle on its back is a quintessential victim,
utterly helpless...
...or so it seems.
Without the help of legs or wings,
\h\hthe click beetle can fly into the air,
as if shot from a catapult.
It stores energy
in a special spring mechanism \h\h\h\h\h\hinside its body.
When released,
it launches the beetle skyward.
\h\h\hThis stunning trick allows it to hurl itself
\h\hup to twenty times its own body length...
...and out of immediate danger.
Nature has had almost \h\h240 million years
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hto work on beetles’ defense strategies,
\hand it’s come up with a real zinger.
For a convincing deterrent,
\h\hthere’s perhaps no better example of nature’s ingenuity
than the Bombardier beetle.
These little things might look harmless,
\h\h\hbut they should be approached with caution.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA colony of ants needs huge amounts of protein,
\husually covered by preying on small spiders or insects.
A beetle of less than \h\h\h\hhalf an inch
is usually overwhelmed \h\h\h\h\hwith ease...
...but not the Bombardier.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWhen attacked, it emits a corrosive, hot gas,
up to 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
\hThe gas may not kill the attacker,
but it certainly drives it away.
It’s not intended that way,
\h\h\hbut it gives the ant an opportunity to learn...
...and adapt.
\h\h\h\h\hIt won’t make the same mistake again.
\h\h\h\hBut such weapons don’t always win the day.
\hAgainst a predator the size of a toad...
...even the Bombardier \h\h\h\h\his helpless.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Nature has equipped beetles
with a whole arsenal \h\h\hof chemicals:
some for defense,
some for digesting food,
and others for reproduction.
\h\hThis beetle uses a chemical reaction to lure in its lovers.
Lacking wings and with multiple body segments,
this female firefly,
or lightning bug,
looks more like a centipede
than a beetle.
But luckily for her,
it’s not her appearance
that will attract a mate.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: On warm summer evenings,
when the sun sets,
fireflies show off
their chemical attractant.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\hFireflies have a special light organ
located in the lower abdomen.
The glow it emits has \ha single purpose...
...sex.
As night falls, the males swarm in the air and light it up.
Waiting on the ground,
\h\h\h\hthe females respond with their own sexual glow.
The light is energy released
\h\hby a complicated biochemical reaction.
\h\hBut instead of dispelling most of this energy as heat,
\hthe fireflies turn 95% of it into light.
\h\hThis also ensures they don’t get burned.
(birds sing)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: By day, the male reveals itself
\h\h\h\h\h\hto be small and rather unimpressive,
although, unlike the female,
\hhe at least looks more like a beetle.
During their brief adult life of only a few days,
\h\h\h\hfireflies never eat; they’re too busy procreating.
The male isn’t much more than a vessel of semen on six legs.
\h\h\h\h\h\hThe female, a tube filled with eggs.
Mating takes place \h\hon the ground.
Once it’s finished,
the partners separate for good.
The male has fulfilled \hhis only goal in life
and will die in about 10 days.
The female turns off \hher light forever
\h\h\h\h\h\hand goes looking for a place to lay her eggs.
Once that task is complete,
she too will die.
A few weeks later,
larvae will emerge \hfrom the eggs...
...but it will take three years for them to reach maturity
and join the magical light show that illuminates summer nights.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Beetles’ reproductive behaviors
are as varied and complex \h\h\h\has their diets...
\h\h\h...another reason they’re so successful.
140 million years ago,
\h\h\h\h\hthe emergence of the first flowering plants
offered creatures on land \hbrand new food sources.
It triggered an explosion \hin new beetle species.
As beetles developed a taste \h\h\hfor nectar and pollen,
they also pollinated the plants,
playing a crucial role \h\hin their evolution.
\h\hGrazing animals like sheep and goats
actually open up vegetation \h\h\hclose to the ground,
allowing wildflowers to grow.
\h\h\hThis Dorbeetle follows grazing herbivores around...
...but it isn’t interested \h\h\hin nectar or pollen.
And it also doesn’t prey \h\h\h\hon other insects.
\h\h\hIt’s interested in just one thing...
...poop.
There’s nothing like the smell \hof fresh dung to a Dorbeetle.
\hAnd thanks to its keen sense of smell,
Dorbeetles find fresh dung within minutes.
The fresher the dung,
\h\h\hthe more beetles will come to the feast.
\hThere are about 7,000 species of dung beetle around the world.
\h\h\h\h\hTo them, manure is a nutrient-rich food source,
\h\h\h\h\hfor themselves, as well as their offspring.
But putting your offspring \h\h\h\h\hin a heap of dung
with many other beetles
\hmeans they’ll have a lot of competition.
Some dung beetle species have solved this problem
in a very peculiar way.
The Sisyphus dung beetle has \hshort, powerful front legs,
\h\h\hthat function like a pair of carving knives
to divide the manure.
Its hind legs, however, \h\h\h\h\hhave adapted
\hto a completely different task...
...it uses them to roll a ball \h\h\hof manure away backwards.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Immensely powerful for its size,
the Sisyphus dung beetle can maneuver dung balls
up to ten times its own weight,
over rough and steep terrain.
It pushes and pulls its cargo \h\h\h\h\h\h\halmost 30 feet
to its burrow,
an epic distance for a creature
about half an inch long.
\h\h\h\hEven when it runs into what seems to be a dead end...
...it doesn’t give up.
\h\hThat’s how it earned its Latin name, Sisyphus,
\h\hafter the Greek hero who was charged with the impossible task
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hof pushing an immense boulder up a hill,
\h\h\h\h\honly to watch it repeatedly roll back down.
\h\h\h\h\hBut in this case, help arrives just in time.
\h\h\h\h\hMating pairs of Sisyphus beetles cooperate
to bring home the daily dung.
\h\h\h\hSpreading dung over large areas and underground
\hprovides another crucial service...
...fertilizing the soil.
Without dung-eating beetles,
\h\hthe land would eventually suffocate under animal waste.
Home at last,
the Sisyphus dung beetle
\hstores the precious dung in its underground pantry,
ensuring that the next \hgeneration of beetles
will grow up well-nourished.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\hMany beetle species perform essential tasks to the ecosystem
and, while the Sisyphus beetle \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hseems like
it’s taken waste treatment \h\h\h\h\h\hto the extreme,
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthere may be an even more extreme case.
(birds sing)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: \h\h\h\h\h\hOne beetle species in European forests performs a task
\h\hjust as essential, though far more grisly.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hDung is only one kind of animal remains
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthat needs to be dealt with in nature.
A dead yellow-necked mouse lies on the forest floor...
\h\h\h...an easy meal for many potential scavengers.
It’s a race between flies,
foxes, badgers,
and something else...
A spooky spectacle begins.
As if by magic,
the dead mouse begins to move.
Something is stirring.
(♪)
\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Little by little,
the mouse is sucked \h\hinto the soil.
\h\h\hUp to 6 hours later, it will vanish completely.
The burying beetle is nature’s \h\h\hundertaker and embalmer.
\h\h\hPreserving the body with antibacterial saliva,
\hit buries the carcasses of small mammals and birds
to use as food for its larvae.
\hThis tiny beetle can bury an animal
150 times its own size,
\h\hdigging a hole beneath the corpse
\hso that it gradually sinks into the ground.
\h\h\h\h\h\hBut the mouse isn’t a meal for himself.
It’s an engagement present \h\h\hfor his future mate.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: He stops to excrete pheromones
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hto attract a female to lay eggs in the mouse’s body.
He then finishes the burial,
\h\hkeeping the carcass safe from carrion flies,
\h\h\h\h\hwhose maggots would devour the flesh.
Once the burial is complete,
\h\h\h\hthe burying beetle will strip the mouse’s fur
and form a "meat ball" \h\hfor his offspring.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: If a female doesn’t respond \h\h\h\hto his pheromones,
\hthe beetle’s efforts will have been in vain.
\h\hThe sole purpose of burying the mouse
is to provide food \hfor their larvae.
\h\h\hAdult beetles feed mainly on other insects,
so if he gets no female callers, he will abandon his prize.
This extraordinary behavior \h\h\h\h\h\h\his an example
of how beetles have evolved
to exploit every conceivable food source nature can offer.
(♪)
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Adaptability is a great part \h\hof the beetles’ success,
but one of its greatest secrets is often hidden from the world.
Every beetle begins its life \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\has a larva,
and many beetles spend \hmost of their lives,
sometimes years,
as larvae, often living in underground chambers
or in damp, decaying wood.
What may only look like a plump maggot
\h\his actually part of a very successful
evolutionary strategy.
Beetle larvae are typically \h\hfat "eating machines."
\h\h\h\hAs they grow, they shed their skin
several times before eventually emerging as adult beetles.
Before they can do that, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hhowever,
\h\h\hthey must undergo one of the most fascinating processes
in nature...
...metamorphosis.
The larva wriggles \has it transforms
into an immobile pupa...
\h\h...as rigid as a mummy in its underground chamber.
\h\h\h\h\hThis larva of a male stag beetle
has spent around eight years in its underground nursery,
before entering metamorphosis \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hin the fall.
Over the course of two months,
\hthe pupa undergoes a full reconstruction of its body.
In the spring,
it finally sheds its corset...
...to emerge as an adult.
\h\h\h\h\hAdult beetles often don’t eat at all
\h\h\h\h\hand only live for a very short time.
\h\h\hThey’re often little more than sexual organs with wings,
with only one role in life...
...to procreate.
\h\hWith the larvae hiding underground,
and the adults free to fly,
the two life stages \h\hof many beetles
live in completely \hdifferent worlds,
and don’t compete with one another.
\h\h\hIt’s a powerful evolutionary strategy.
\h\h\h\h\hMany other beetles have a slightly different approach...
\h...a single ladybug can produce up to 80,000 offspring per year.
Even if they compete with their offspring,
some are bound to survive.
It’s a numbers game,
\h\h\hanother effective evolutionary strategy.
Beetles have changed and adapted
\hinto an impressive diversity of species.
Their tough outer casing enabled them to conquer
a huge variety of habitats \h\h\hall over the globe...
on land...
in the air...
...and underwater.
And along the way, they have evolved
\h\h\hto eat almost any organic food...
They hunt...
they gather...
...and they clean up the mess \h\hthat others leave behind.
\h\h\h\h\hDiversity is the name of the game...
\h\h\h\h...the secret to beetles’ success.
Beetles are the most successful animals in the world.
There are eight times as many beetle species
as there are fish, amphibian, reptile,
bird, and mammal species \h\h\h\h\hput together.
Beetles have survived every mass extinction
over the last 240 million years.
\h\h\h\hThey have endured global warming, ice ages,
super volcano eruptions,
and asteroid strikes
that wiped out animals \hlike the dinosaurs.
Yet like all insect populations in the industrialized world,
their numbers are dwindling.
Let’s hope the beetles \h\h\h\h\hwill survive
the next global cataclysm.
(♪)