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The varied carpet beetle is a globally distributed pest beetle that can be found on every continent, sans Antarctica. They can be found anywhere from bird’s nests to inside homes. These beetles are considered an invasive species, even though they occur naturally in some locales. Therefore, the IUCN does not […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Colorado potato beetle, aka Colorado beetle, ten-striped spearman, ten-lined potato beetle, and potato bug, is an agricultural pest that can be found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. As you would imagine, they are notorious for infesting and damaging potato crops. They are not evaluated by the IUCN. Colorado […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Gray’s leaf insect hails from Sumatra and the southern part of Malay Peninsula. Their specific epithet bioculatum means “2-eyed” in Latin and refers to the 2 dots located on the abdomen in these insects. These critters face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of deforestation; […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The purple skimmer hails from Florida, in the United States. They are a member of the skimmer family of dragonflies. These stealthy aerial hunters face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments, dams and other water management; land pollution, in the form […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The southern wood ant, aka horse ant or red wood ant, hails from Europe, but has a distribution all the way to eastern Asia. Unconfirmed reports state their presence in North America as well. They face the threats of habitat loss and destruction from residential and commercial developments, and clear-felling, […]

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The thorn bug is a widely distributed insect that is often considered a pest to many ornamental shrubs and trees. These insects utilize their thornlike pronotum to thwart various predators, such as birds, from eating them. They can be found in Florida and other southern states, Mexico, Central America, and […]

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The American burying beetle, aka giant carrion beetle, is not only carnivorous, it feeds on carrion (dead animals) and needs carrion to breed. These beetles are among the few known to exhibit parental care. They are threatened by habitat loss and destruction; habitat fragmentation; the reduction of carrion; and competition […]

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The giant Fijian long-horned beetle hails from the island of Viti Levu in Fiji, and is among the largest known living insect species. These beetles face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments, farming, and deforestation due to logging; hunting, for food; […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Nepal house martin is a nonmigratory bird that hails from southeast Asia. They can be found at elevations of up to 13,100 feet! While these little birds don’t face any significant threats, they are faced with habitat loss and destruction, predation, pesticides, pollution, and climate change. However, these passerine […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The eastern subterranean termite is the most commonly found and most economically significant termite in North America. They are found as far north as southern Ontario. Originating in southeastern United States they are considered to be invasive in southern Canada, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands), South America (Uruguay and […]

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