Some insects sting, some bite, and some spray acid bombs out of their nether regions. It’s a perfectly tactical defense, and highly effective for the bombardier beetle. From a predator’s perspective, ...

Across deserts, ocean floors, and forest undergrowth, a handful of animals have evolved defenses so extreme they strain belief. Bombardier beetles detonate chemical explosions inside their own bodies.

The bombardier beetle, known scientifically as Brachinus, is a dark brown to black beetle with reddish-orange legs and head. The beetles are small in size, roughly half an inch to one inch in length.