This beetle hunts with a sticky harpoon!
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- čas přidán 4. 12. 2023
- I finally found and filmed a Stenus beetle! These rove beetles are famous for hunting springtails by using a projectile mouthpart (a modified labium) with sticky pads at the end.
I collected the individual in this video in Crossnore, NC in August of 2023. Long time Ant Lab collaborator Dr. Matt Bertone helped me find it and he took the still images you see of it in this video! follow him on X/Twitter @/Bertonemyia
SEM image of sticky pads is from:
Koerner, L., Gorb, S. N., Betz, O. (2012) Adhesive performance of the stick-capture apparatus of rove beetles of the genus Stenus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) toward various surfaces. Journal of Insect Physiology 58: 155-163
Image of surface skimming is from:
Lang, C., Seifert, K., Dettner, K. (2012) Skimming behaviour and spreading potential of Stenus species and Dianous coerulescens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Naturwissenschaften 99: 937-947
Music licensed from soundofpicture.com
Wow, this is some incredible footage! I've never seen anything like this!
I thought you might like this one!
Agreed. This isn't easy to film.
the new meta
nature's way to counter evasion build
@@AntLabI would be worried it would bite my penis thats why I dont swim in lakes
wait, there are THREE THOUSAND SPECIES of this stenus beetle?? my jaw just dropped as fast as its sticky harpoon
yeah, one of the most species-rich genera of anything!
Not really that surprising when you know that 1/4 of all animals on the planet are beetles.
'An inordinate fondness' and all that.
@@AntLab I hear the systematics is really complicated.
@@thnderlegyea but there should be thousands of genuses within beetles... this is ONE genus :O
Reminds me of the Xenomorph’s inner jaw attack! I swear, Beetles have all the coolest abilities in the animal kingdom: Flight, Super Strength, Super speed, Reflexes, Bioluminescence, Impenetrable Armor, Chemical projection, and so much more.
Also a great diving beetle can breathe underwater by using air bubbles as oxygen tank
And then there’s giraffe weevils, who’s superpower is long neck
thats why 25% of all known animal species are beetles
It's almost like a terrestrial dragonfly nymph
At 2:39 - 2:40 you can even see the springtail trying to jump after it has already been caught!
Don't know what's happened to them yet, don't know they are already dead.
I wanna say it’s so goofy but the reminder they’re fighting for the rot life makes it less goofy…
I love Rove Beetles.
I even have a Rove Beetle t-shirt.
This reminds me of how cone snails have adopted harpoon to catch fish they would be to slow to catch other-wise. Though, the cone snails utilize paralyzing venom in their harpoon
Everything is a symmetrical grand design.
Reminds me of a lot of things, like the mask of a dragonfly nymph or a chameleon tongue.
True!
@@Deontjie What?
Looking at evolution, almost everything in nature is symmetrical. From leaves to earthworms to animal hands to butterfly wings. How come everything is symmetrical? Doesn't that bothers you?@@jorditimmer2840
Projectile mouth parts are... certainly something.
From 2:38 on you can see the captured springtail attempt to jump away, twice, but there's no surface underneath for it to jump from.
Once again, nature tops science fiction! 😎✌️
@@gus473 science fiction tends to base itself on nature
Great information. Thanks for the education. My granddaughter and I really enjoy your videos.
Rove beetles are so cool. There's a species I've found under rocks in my back yard that sticks its abdomen up in the air and if you provoke it, the beetle will extrude this weird white fluffy organ. I don't know if this is what it was doing but I read many species have the ability to produce a pheromone that attracts a given species that they'll parasitize in a variety of ways. This species looks like a land based damsel fly nymph, except it must be an example of convergent evolution because it doesn't look like that harpoon is part of their lower jaw. Funny how two animals that live in a similar area would independently evolve similar features to hunt similar animals, except one species of prey lives above the water and the other below. Evolution is cool.
Could have been defensive glands. I personally study darkling beetles, however I remember learning that spieces of rover beetles in the genus Ocypus, in particular O. olens, tend to show the behaviour you described in order to strike incoming predators with foul smelling secretions (an additional defense if their mighty mandibles weren't enough)
devils coach horse beetle
It's really cool @2:39 to see the springtail loading/unloading its tail to try to flick away and escape!
Great video! I had no knowledge of this genus and its adaptations.
thank you for your amazing work , spreading the love for bugs everywhere
looking good Stenus, keep up the good work
That thing is probably high A tier considering it has the base stats of a beetle + a rare and powerful grab attack that gives it a down right broken matchup against its preys
Rove beetles are my favorite insects, clever little critters too! Super quick and good at evading large predators. They'll fold their abdomen over their head and run like a scorpion too which is neat/intimidating looking. Just try and catch an adult! You can see a jumping spider like predatory intelligence behind their movements. Always fun to encounter in the wild. They lose all their sharpness to their skills when raised in captivity, like a house cat vs. feral cat. Makes me think they must have a pretty good thinking ability to adapt like, changing so quickly.
They are also poisonous, in my experience ants will not touch them + they have fairly good vision for an insect.
omg you can clearly see the parts of the labium and that’s so cool to me
I saw a slo-mo video today that simply had a timestamp in microseconds posted on screen. It makes calculations easier for the viewer. In this video... I know it is recorded at 6000fps in places... but I need to know playback fps too. But worse, I can't count time perfectly like a machine. So if I try to calculate the speed of the spear for example, I have to do a good bit of mental math and estimation. This channel has so much novel slow motion video... I thought I'd share this simple presentation technique that really worked well. You can instantly find the time between two freeze frames...
At 2:38 you can actually see the springtail attempt to escape, but it's already too late! Great footage!
Always happy when you upload a new video!
Absolutely Amazing. Like a Chameleon in miniature
very underrated video. It's amazing what happens all around us at such a small scale. All these little creatures are just around everywhere, just like us, doing their own little thinggg.
Wonderful work as always!
Great video, I'm currently working on a thesis regarding the prey capture behaviour of these beetles and It's nice to see them get some atttention. They are such remarkable and charismatic animals but a bit too small to notice when you don't know what you're looking for.
So cool ❤
Your content is always awesome!
Mind blowing footage! Well done and thanks for sharing 🙌
Always loved the beetles
Thanks for the Video! AMAZING!
I had no idea stenus beetles even existed. Thanks! 😁😎
I'm just happy they are tiny.
"The ant's a centaur in his dragon world." Great video!
Another A+ video!
Wow, amazing. Thank you for perfect video
Another great video, thanks !
Incredible!!!
Beautiful, thank's!
Another amazing video, nice job!
Great stuff! Thanks.
Never heard of this beetle before, it's very interesting!
Ant Lab is best channel on YT
mind blown by cool animal thing once again!
I learned something new today. Thanks
this is incredibly beautiful
awesome video as always.
I love how there will always be new things to amaze me in entomology! Thanks for tacking on a new one, you earned my sub! I request a cuckoo wasp video!
Very cool
Remarkable.
Invertebrate behaviour never ceases to amaze me. So many brilliantly evolved adaptations. And so sad we're undergoing an apocalypse of insect extinction. Our own will likely follow if we continue doing what we're doing....
You do those rove beetles all so have a earwid steiner to grab there pray to ok man 😎👍
This is so cool!
Love this
Oh my gosh there’s so many Stenus 😭. Those coleopterists are hardcore
Love your content!!
Reminds me of the odonatas. Not easy to film! Amazing
A good example of convergent evolution between a Chameleon and a Bettle 😅
I love this
ZOMG! This is amazing Adrian!!!!
Glad you liked it, Gwen!
Reminds me of the dragonfly nymph hunting, they even almost look like each other.
Awesome
Looks like the mouth parts of a dragonfly nymph, pretty cool
The springtails look so silly backflipping in the air like that,p
Thank you for covering insects and other critters like you do! Your vids are always so informative and don’t try to frame these animals as scary, breath of fresh air really
The diversity of rove beetles is just jaw-dropping
So cool And also a bit terrifying
In real life one wonders what just happened to bring the springtail from there, unbothered, into the jaws of a destroyer, doomed, in seemingly no time at all! Gorgeous footage, still absolutely jaw dropping at my age (54) growing up with what he had back then...
Wow, a horror movie with giant rove beetles snatching hikers walking in the forest😮
I too enjoy utilizing my sticky harpoon
This is a cool video but that thumbnail gives me chills in more ways I can’t explain
Holy schmoly
凄い映像を見せて下さり、ありがとうございます🙇💖
I recently filmed a species of Kidnapper ants go on a raid to replenish their ranks, it was so dramatic and fascinating to witness!
After all the books i read and all the Animal Planet and Discovery Channel i watched as a kid, I'm shocked that this is the first time I ever learned about these.
I have a new insect to look for!
Very cool, thanks! Also, I've seen Ze Frank using some of your footage. You've hit the big time it seems!
Even before chameleon tongues. Amazing.
That speed is incredible - at 6,000 fps it's still nearly instant.
Aren't insects the most interesting creatures!?! I wish I'd known that when I was younger. Instead of being afraid of them.
I definately agree. I tend to do most of my species highlights on insects and invertebrates. There are some really crazy ones in my area. The Antlions and Mantidflies are some of my favorites to watch and film. This video is amazing.
...its like me watching the cliffhanger of our legendary games all over again.😩
In a galaxy far far away. On a very distant planet. You know there’s probably giant versions of these insects. And while insignificant here. They’re probably apex predators there.
You have a great ability to take a boring-looking bug and make it fascinating! Thank you!
Thats some Alien stuff right there
I've always been fascinated by these beetles and their unique hunting technique! Thanks for sharing this amazing footage!~
this video needs "Get over Here!" sound effect
new inspiration for the new xenomorph hybrid
That's like a land version of a dragonfly nymph
I once heard of these beetles, but not much after. Good to see it was not just a dream. Have you heard how orchid mantises use their femoral lobes for gliding, not camoflage.
2:38
You can see the springtail attempting to spring but it's too late.
The chameleon tongue of the bug world
Yep, this is right from the Alien series. Watch out for those mini facehuggers.
Damn! I'm in like the only part of the US where you don't find these guys.
*"GET OVER HERE"!*
Hot dang that's a fast bug
Fast bugs, Slow bugs / Little critters that give lots of hugs / Big bugs, Small bugs / Catch them all and keep them in mugs.
Thanks god for youtube. Scientists are able to pursue their passion, educate young people and at the same time make more than enough money for it.
Reminds me of alien.
... there are beetles that do what chameleons and cone snails do?
THERE ARE MORE KINDS OF THEM THAN ALL PRAYING MANTISES?
Thanks for the video. I've been delighted by your works for years, and I even have my own springtail colony now.
Its like a mini alien...cute but deadly 😅
If you have seen the movie "Aliens" you will remember what the alien could do with its mouth. It had a smaller mouth that came out of its larger mouth like the harpoon is doing to draw things closer. I wonder if the writers got inspirational from this beetle.
"He can attack its prey in a single frame"
Me, who plays fighting games: that's..... pretty damn fast.
Closest tongue structure I've seen with an insect
experience *THIS* kind of satisfaction 🤣🤣🤣