Flattened Clown Beetles: these beetles have a remarkably thin, flat shape that allows them to slide beneath the bark of dead and dying trees, where they feed on the larvae of other invertebrates
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  • 362 points Katkustagg

    He looks like he's been steamrolled 😆

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    131 points raa__va

    I wonder if it’s inner organs look neat like a electric motherboard or a chip or something

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    27 points Katkustagg

    True that would be very interesting to know

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    18 points pennyraingoose

    Let's MRI one!

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    8 points AJC_10_29

    Drake the type of cartoonish scoundrel

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    6 points sadmium

    The sheer joy of this comment makes me very happy haha

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  • 139 points Lua-Ma

    If CEO God designed insects in 2025:

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    30 points sphinctersandwich

    So it's like the bug equivalent of, say, hiding in a storm drain with a red balloon for example...

    ETA this was not the comment I originally intended to reply to, so if you have deja vu I'm not a bot, just a tired human

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  • 83 points Creampie-Senpai

    Looks like a Lamborghini

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    58 points Basil_Of_Faraway

    a lambugini!!

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    14 points bleep_blorp_boop

    The Lamborghini Beetle 🙃

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    4 points nutterbutter92

    The Lambeetlghini...

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    4 points AvocadoBrick

    Lamborbeanie

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  • 54 points SixteenSeveredHands

    Beetles of the genus Hololepta are often referred to as flat clown beetles, thanks to their wafer-thin bodies and the "clown-shoe" shape of their feet. They measure roughly 8-10mm long, but their bodies have a thickness of just 1mm, which is about as thick as a credit card; that peculiar morphology allows them to crawl beneath the bark of dead or dying trees, where they feed on the larvae of other arthropods.

    As this book explains:

    The flat clown beetle is profoundly flattened—the depth of the body is approximately one-tenth its total length. The legs are pressed against the body for effective pushing, and the mandibles extend far forward to allow the beetle to capture prey in narrow spaces. The entire body is strongly armored, a feature shared by other members of the Histeridae.

    The name of the genus Hololepta is derived from the Greek words hólos and leptós, meaning "completely thin." Most of the beetles in this genus have flat, rectangular bodies, large mandibles, and shiny black exoskeletons.

    Sources & More Info:

    • The Book of Beetles: Flat Clown Beetle
    • The Museum of Natural History at the University of Oxford: A Family of Clown Beetles
    • iNaturalist: Genus Hololepta
    • A Color Guide to Beetles: Hololepta plana
    • Beetles of Eastern North America: Hololepta aequalis
    • Beetles of the World: a Natural History: Clown or Hister Beetles
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  • 54 points Channa_Argus1121

    Flattened Clown Beetles

    Why so serious?

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    9 points sphinctersandwich

    So it's like the bug equivalent of, say, hiding in a storm drain with a red balloon for example...

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    4 points Channa_Argus1121

    -or plotting schemes in a certain Aslume. This beetle looks more like Man than Jonkler, though.

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    3 points aworldwithinitself

    am i funny to you? i’m funny? i’m like i clown,i make you laugh? how am i funny, i want to know

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  • 22 points AvocadoBrick

    iBeetle

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    9 points eddiestriker

    Motorola BTL

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  • 9 points purgatorybob1986

    Looks like he's made of obsidian. So cool!

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    4 points crag-u-feller

    scratch resistant for sure!

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  • 9 points PhenixNOTPhoenix

    Lowrider Beetle

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  • 8 points [deleted]

    There should be a r/specializedtools subreddit, but for nature.

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  • 6 points Kitakitakita

    Flat Clown Beetles make the rockin' world go round

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  • 4 points ToastedOwl6969

    Awee🥹

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  • 5 points Dry_Cat5325

    Neat where can they be found?

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  • 3 points Swordf1sh_

    Is this the iPhone 18

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    5 points crag-u-feller

    I imagine a tiny beetle voice telling you everything the other person is saying on the other end if the line

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    5 points Swordf1sh_

    Michelle, ma belle…

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  • 3 points newmacbookpro

    This is just like a Cat R1700. Extra low and boxy to work in the mine (A Mine!)

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    2 points gizmomooncat

    had to Google it... You're right!

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  • 3 points GrimxOD

    Looks like the Apple Magic Mouse 😆

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  • 2 points Sea_sociate

    Looks like a toy lol

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  • 2 points Madouc

    Lamborghini Beetle

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  • 2 points menthol_patient

    Reminds me of a Swedish tank.

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  • 2 points Warglol9756

    He slides in your BM’s

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  • 2 points Individual-Cream-581

    The supermodels of the nettle world 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

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  • 2 points Ms_Apprehend

    Looks like a Tesla truck

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  • 2 points ZxlSoul

    Flat as Kansas

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  • 2 points UrsaBearOso

    He looks so compact and created with efficiency in mind help 😭

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  • 2 points Blood_Oleander

    People base phone cases off these

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  • 1 points AutoModerator

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  • 1 points AgVargr

    Clown Beetle Air

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  • 1 points PotatoCooks

    iPhone beetle

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  • 1 points tthblox

    I-phone bugs be getting wild

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  • 1 points ClenchedFart

    I wanna see it take flight

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    1 points crag-u-feller

    Bet it has anti-collision beacon and nav lights

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  • 1 points RamblingHeathen

    Flet

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  • 1 points jackalope268

    When half your body is armor, youre either doing something really right, or putting too much energy in to show off

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  • 1 points GordonGlamzey

    r/oddlysatisfying (in terms of design, lol)

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  • 1 points sadmium

    What a cutie!!

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  • 1 points ADFTGM

    Other invertebrates? Does that also include wood boring beetles that kill trees? Is this an anti-beetle beetle?

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  • 1 points Top-Abbreviations855

    Aaaaaaaa so f l a t t e

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  • 1 points Beautiful_Book_9639

    I love her

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  • 1 points maggot_brain79

    He looks like somebody sat on him by accident.

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  • 1 points crag-u-feller

    iPhone Beet

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  • 1 points wooowheeh

    I thought this was a usb stick

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  • 1 points AAIIEEamDaniel

    I hope hes having a good day

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  • 1 points -TheArtOfTheFart-

    Oh my God she's a burnt pancake! I adore her.

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  • 1 points bibigunns

    Low riders

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  • 1 points ktkatp669

    Looks like the armored division rolling in

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  • -4 points Capn_Flags

    Some people think Aliens are using us as a resource.

    I read posts like this and can only imagine. How many people go missing every year? 🤔

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