The Mouldy Beetle Looks Like Something You’d Find in your Belly Button!

Habitat: South Africa
Status: Not listed

Ohhhh Mondays… by far the worst day of the week. So in tune with my overly cheery spirit I’ve decided to go with a bug that always lives life in a pretty dismal state. Not because it has life tougher than any other bug, really, but because of its name: the Mouldy Beetle (Eurychora sp). I mean, imagine being known as the ‘mouldy’ guy all the time. That can’t be good for your self esteem.

Actually, the name ‘mouldy beetle’ is just the unoffical nickname of a species of Darkling Beetle found in the sandy southern part of Africa. The beetle gets the mouldy monicker from the fact that it adorns itself in pieces of sand, rubble, dirt, and anything else worth using to camouflage its naturally dark body in. You see, the beetle’s body is covered in waxy hairs that support lots of dirt and grime to stick on the insect’s back; much like a fur coat made out of crap. But hey, gotta do what ya gotta do to avoid predators, am I right?

You can see here what it looks like ‘mid crap coat’:

I actually prefer it covered in all that dust and sand and what not. It reminds me of something you find in your belly button. I’m not entirely sure why that’s more appealing to me but hey… I’m a little weird.