Beetles in Flight

A mesmerizing exploration at six thousand frames per seconds captures the mechanics and beauty of beetles in flight.

Adrian Smith and his lab capture flight footage of beetles in this mesmerizing video shot with ultra slow-motion and high-definition cameras. Watch 12 separate species and their idiosyncrasies as the launch – or bumble – into the air at 6,000 frames per second.

Here’s who shows off their flying prowess.

Grapevine beetle – Pelidnota punctata
Oriental beetle – Anomala orientalis
Japanese beetle – Popillia japonica
Water scavenger beetle – family Hydrophilidae
Picnic beetle – Glischrochilus fasciatus
Jewel beetle – Dicerca obscura (probably)
Tumbling flower beetle – family Mordellidae
Punctured Tiger Beetle – Cicindelidia punctulate
Clay-colored leaf beetle – Anomoea laticlavia
Two-lined leather-wing (soldier beetle) – Atalantycha bilineata
Flat oak borer (longhorn beetle) – Smodicum cucujiforme
Checkered beetle – family Cleridae

Added bonus points: The video’s narrated by the comedian Joe Pera

Adrian Smith heads the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University. His science and insect videos can be watched on his Ant Lab YouTube channel.

Credits

Written and Produced by – Adrian Smith
Narrated by – Joe Pera
Still Images by – Matt Bertone and Nicolás Galvez
Supported by – North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences