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
Bonus points: The video’s narrated by the comedian Joe Pera.
