The Bizarre Bombardier Beetle

I recently mentioned a beetle that could basically blow fire out of its bunghole, on another community website, a while back. Since some folks may have thought that I was simply nuts or insane, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify on my Wildlife & Nature Blog; ha!

Bombardier beetles are ground-based beetles that come equipped with a bizarre defense mechanism that, when bothered or pissed off, allows them to eject an extremely hot, vapor-like chemical spray out from the tip of their abdomen. Oh, it makes a popping sound, too. LOL!

This spray is due to a chemical reaction between hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone, which is stored in separate areas of the abdomen. This creative beetle has a 3rd chamber that mixes this stuff with catalytic enzymes and water. This crazed reaction not only produces the gas that fuels the ejection, but it also heats up to nearly the boiling point of water during the process. Any poor insect or tiny critters that get near this beetle's butt, is just asking for death!

If you'd like a more elaborate explanation, go here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_beetle

Some people also use this beetle to defend the myths & legends of ancient fire-breathing dragons, too. I assume they think that a similar mechanism could exist in a dragon's throat much like what is found on this beetle's backside? Hmm, now that's an interesting thought when brought to full scale! Of course, this bug also makes for great debates when concerning certain aspects of the theory of evolution. If you'd rather read more about that, you can start here: https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/pygidial-gland-of-the-bombardier-beetle-brachinus-sp/

Anyway, I just thought I'd share these interesting tidbits with the community today; cheers!

Image Credit: Is already provided in the Wiki link above.

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