Beetles are creatures with built-in body armor. They are tiny tanks covered with hard shells, also known as exoskeletons, protecting their soft, skeleton-less bodies inside. In addition to providing ...

Flashy iridescent shells might not seem like the best evolutionary strategy for bugs trying to avoid hungry birds. But in recent years, biologists have shown that iridescence—lustrous shifts in color, ...

The microstructures that give flower beetles’ exoskeletons their dazzling iridescence also enhance structural strength, according to a research team led by mechanical engineer Ling Li of Virginia Tech ...

Snail-eating slender beetle (Carabus blaptoides fortunei, left) and stout beetle (Carabus blaptoides capito, right). Slender beetles can eat snails by inserting their heads into the shells but cannot ...