Meet one of the seven wonders of the animal kingdom – the diabolical ironclad beetle. This little beetle has been called the armored tank of the insect world and for good reason. Normally when you step on a beetle it will die. But not so with the ironclad beetle. In fact, you can drive over it with your car and it won’t even flinch. This little beetle has one of the toughest exoskeletons in the animal kingdom and as a result scientists need to drill a hole into its shell before they can stick a pin through it.
A team from Purdue University and the University of California, Irvine “have deduced that when an extreme amount of pressure is put on the beetle, its “crush-resistant” shell adapts to the situation by stretching, rather than shattering. Its nearly indestructible shell, coupled with its convincing acting skills when it comes to playing dead, leave the beetle with few predators.”1
Just how crush-resistant is the tiny beetle’s shell? Well researchers have found that it can withstand a force of about 39,000 times its body weight. This is the equivalent of a 200-pound man enduring the weight of 7.8 million pounds.2 Since the ironclad beetle can’t fly its specially designed armor is more than a match for predators desiring their next meal.
Scientists through extensive research have discovered why the ironclad is such a marvel of structural engineering. One article describes some of the technical reasons this amazing beetle defies nature as follows: “Scientists have found that the shell of the bug, which is native to desert habitats in the Southwestern U.S., has evolved to protect it. Specifically, its elytra — the blades that open and close on the wings of aerial beetles — have fused together to act as a solid shield for the beetle, which can’t fly. Under compression, the jigsaw puzzle-like structure of the elytra doesn’t snap as expected, but rather, fractures slowly. A cross-section of the medial suture, where two halves of the diabolical ironclad beetle’s elytra meet, shows the puzzle piece configuration that’s among the keys to the insect’s incredible durability.”3
In another article, the author, before describing some of the technical reasons the ironclad beetle can withstand such incredible pressures makes the following interesting comment: “At a glance, the beetle appears impressive: a dark, bumpy exoskeleton that looks a little like a charred rock. But lurking beneath its humdrum exterior lie a few structural marvels, built by evolution.”4
Kyle Butt makes the following astute observations on these two articles that tout evolution as the key to the ironclad beetle’s defense mechanisms: “Sadly, the obvious implication of the beetle’s armor design is completely missed by the research team. They incorrectly attribute these phenomenal features to “millions of years” of evolutionary change due to “environmental pressures.” Such a conclusion truly defies logic. Literally, the most brilliant human researchers in the world have, for many decades, collaborated together to contemplate, engineer, design, and build the most advanced connecting joints and protective structures ever conceived in the human mind. They have used these joints and structures, as rocket scientists, to build aerospace devices that must withstand massive amounts of pressure. And for all that, when we look at the tiny, two-centimeter long diabolical ironclad beetle, its armor eclipses the abilities of our best and brightest rocket scientists. An unbiased observer cannot miss the implication. Whoever designed the beetle’s armor possesses an intelligence superior to the combined abilities of the world’s rocket scientists. How long will it take the human race to recognize that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9)? Isn’t it ironic that the lofty ways of God are so clearly evident in a tiny, ground-crawling beetle?”5
Nature clearly manifests the glory of God in many spectacular ways through God’s creation of plants, animals, the stars, and a host of marvelous phenomenon from brilliant sunsets to majestic mountain ranges. God’s awesome handiwork in nature, like the ironclad beetle, is clearly on display for all those who choose to open their eyes and see.
1 Meet the diabolical ironclad beetle, which can survive being run over by a car – CBS News
2 Meet the diabolical ironclad beetle, which can survive being run over by a car – CBS News
3 Meet the diabolical ironclad beetle, which can survive being run over by a car – CBS News
4 The diabolical ironclad beetle is practically indestructible. Now scientists know why (cnet.com)
5 The Ironclad Beetle: Armored Tank of the Insect World – Apologetics Press