Search Details

Word: brachinus (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first (reverse)


Usage:

...bombardier beetle is an inconspicuous insect that ranges much of the world with calm and self-assurance-and for jood reason. When attacked by a ferocious ant, its natural enemy, the bombardier beetle (Brachinus) merely stands its ground, pushes a flexible tube from its rear end and points it at the enemy. With a small but audible bang, a cloud of acrid vapor envelops the ant, reducing it to paralysis or trembling confusion. Until recently, the bombardier beetle's efficient defensive weapon was pretty much of a mystery. Entomologists thought that it simply squirted out a liquid that exploded...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: Science: Beetle Artillery | 11/24/1961 | See Source »

| 1 |