Description

More than 40 species of bombardier beetles are found in the United States. Each has blue elytra (wing coverings) and a reddish head and limbs. They are considered remarkable because of their ability to shoot a boiling, corrosive substance at predators. An important feature of these beetles is the presence of two chambers within their abdomen that keep the critical reactants apart until they are ready to be discharged. When the beetle feels threatened, the contents of these two chambers are combined and fired through the abdominal tip. The abdominal tip through which their defensive chemical is sprayed can be rotated 270 degrees so they can more easily fire at predators. These beetles tend to be very small in size, usually growing to be less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long.