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“In the margins”, 2025

The margined burying beetle (Nicrophorus marginatus) is a carrion beetle native to North America. I won’t go into much detail here in case you’re feeling kinda squeamish, but the aptly named burying beetles raise their young in “crypts”; formed from the flesh of dead vertebrates that the adults processed and buried. Both parents then stick around and raise their grubs all while defending their fleshy nursery from competitors until the larvae pupate. It’s not often that non-eusocial insects care for their young, so it’s really neat that burying beetles take such great care in ensuring their grubs make it to beetle-hood! 🪲🦴🍄

Went to the zoo yesterday, here's some pics we took... The bats loved the warmth of the lights so all the photos turned out really dramatic lol

(i know it looks just like plain concrete but out of frame is a beautiful simulated jungle habitat that they all just chose not to hang out in)

IT IS DONE!!!!!!!!

when i heard that song (maybe later dance by jhariah) for the first time i was so. This one is so me Hinata-coded!!!!! and when i found out that the amounts of times that "i wanna be like you" coincided with the amount of characters in the sdr2 cast.. ummmmmmmmmmmmm..........

here's all the like you's that hinata wants to be; and ultimately excells being at~

Onychocerus albitarsis, commonly known as the scorpion beetle, is a unique species of cerambycid beetle found only in the rainforests of South America. This species has a peculiar defense mechanism: its long, slender antennae are equipped with stinging organs that resemble scorpion stingers, and they can deliver a venomous sting that causes pain and inflammation in humans.

Onychocerus albitarsis is the only known example of a beetle with a venomous sting, and it's the only arthropod that is known to have stingers on its antennae.

This article describes the stinging apparatus in greater detail:

The terminal antennal segment of Onychocerus albitarsis has two pores opening into channels leading to the tip through which the secretion is delivered. The delivery system is almost identical to that found in the stinger of a deadly buthid scorpion.

Like social hymenoptera, the stings are administered in defense. This defense strategy would not be of assistance during the imperiled immature stages, but would probably be directed towards vertebrate predators of adult cerambycids, including birds, lizards, or even monkeys.

Adult scorpion beetles typically measure about 14-21mm long. This species is known to inhabit various parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru.

Sources & More Info:

Naturwissenschaften: Convergent Evolution in the Antennae of a Cerambycid Beetle, Onychocerus albitarsis, and the Sting of a Scorpion (PDF)

Journal of Clinical Toxicology: Envenomations in Humans Caused by the Venomous Beetle Onychocerus albitarsis

Toxicon: Entomo-Venomics: the Evolution, Biology, and Biochemistry of Insect Venoms (PDF)

Middle East Research Journal of Medical Sciences: Characteristics of Venomous Coleopterans (PDF)

Duck of Incredible Mirth