Hello folks who wonder if all reptiles are in fact cold-blooded murderers,

Every one, no matter how weird their tastes are, will have an apple variety to cater to their tastes. Just take a trip to the supermarket and check out the apple aisle of the produce section.

This is what it might look like.


That right there was a mortal sin. Using the term apple when most smart people just know it as a company that makes their smartwatches, smartphones and smart computers. So let me backup a little so we can be inclusive to everyone. Have you ever been asked to get a sliced bread loaf, only to be dumbfounded when you see these many varieties of bread in front of you at the supermarket.



Similarly the variety of species we can find under insects is overwhelming. Among all the insect types, beetles take the prize as being the most diverse group of insects, hence there is a type of beetle to please everyone's tastes eyes. Today, we will be looking at Rove Beetles.

Rove Beetles are a family of beetles that are elongated in shape and are usually found roaming aimlessly in the soil. One way these beetles distinguish themselves from other beetles is by having an almost comical shorter elytra as compared to their abdomen. Below is what they look like.



You see, elytra are the forewings of beetles which have been hardened and protect their wings when not in use. In a way, elytra serves the same purpose as a phone case that protects the expensive display on your smartphone. An example of a lady beetle's elytra concealing its wings can be seen below.



Rove beetles are so fascinating to watch because unlike lady beetles which use the entire abdomen to store their wings, rove beetles use just a quarter of the space to store it. They will fold the wings more than once and hence will only travel using their carry-on bags while other beetles will wait in long lines to get their bag(s) checked.

Anyways, they will use their abdomen to help pack these wings in such a tight way. Below is one showcasing its talent for the camera.



A lot of people tend to confuse rove beetles with earwigs. Why? Because some people will start drinking a little early during the day like 9 am. That's why.

Here is what the tail end of a rove beetle will look like. Do they look like pincers? No, right. After downing 2 glasses of wine, you are not so sure, are you?



When you are so talented, everyone wants to get their hands on you. So how do rove beetles politely ask others to give them space. Some rove beetles will release foul smelling compounds to drive away predators while some will assume the defensive posture of a scorpion that it learnt from videos it binges on youtube.

Below is a Devil's coach horse beetle showing its defensive posture although it can't sting.



Just because it can't sting does not mean it cannot bite. Some of the larger rove beetles like the Devil's coach horse beetle will pack a nasty bite if you get too handsy with it.

Below is one showing how wide its jaws can get.



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