Re:The Beetle That Heads for the ‘Back Door’ When Eaten by a...
by UnFleshedOne on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @03:12PM
(#36975627)
That's an aquatic beetle, a lot of those store their own air supply under their wings...
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Re:The Beetle That Heads for the ‘Back Door’ When Eaten by a...
by throwanem on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @06:11PM
(#36978455)
Oh, I didn't know that! I can't get to the citation, but per Wikipedia [1] Hydrophilidae, the family in which this beetle is classified, do have that capability. Whether even with an air bubble they can hold out long enough is a separate question, as is whether their also-mentioned ability to extract usable oxygen from ambient water would be helpful in this environment - but being able to carry air under their elytra would certainly improve their odds.