Ironclad beetle (Zopherus nodulosus haldemani). Austin, Texas, 10/14/19.
this bug is insane. Its exoskeleton is so tough, if you try to pin a dead one, the pin will just bend. It can only be pierced with a small electric drill.
It’s immune to being stomped on or otherwise crushed with human force, and I’ve even read multiple anecdotes that they can survive being run over by a car.
They were originally called ironclad beetles just because their exoskeleton is so hard, but analysis has shown that their shell actually does contain iron- in addition to calcium, manganese and zinc.
Structure-Property Relations of the Exoskeleton of the Ironclad Beetle (<i>Zopherus nodulosus haldemani</i>) - ProQuest Structure-Property Relations of the Exoskeleton of the Ironclad Beetle (<i>Zopherus nodulosus haldemani</i>) - ProQuest search.proquest.comMany invertebrates (including insects, polychaete worms and mollusks) have metal- reinforced jaws or other body parts, but this is the most metal in one animal that I’m aware of... no wonder it’s basically indestructible.