Metamorphosis: Beetles hatch from eggs. They undergo complete metamorphosis consisting of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. An egg hatches into a larva (sometimes called a grub - which sometimes looks like a worm but can also look like a tiny lizard or insect). After molting many times (shedding the hard exoskeleton which has been outgrown), it develops a hard outer shell, the puparium, and the beetle undergoes tremendous physiological changes (although it is seemingly inactive during this stage) - this is the pupa. It emerges from the puparium as an adult beetle.

Worldwide Species: There are about 350,000 different species of beetles and many more that have not been discovered yet. Insects evolved during the early Permian Period, 265 million years ago (before dinosaurs evolved). Beetles live all over the world (except on the continent of Antarctica or in the oceans); they live in regions ranging from deserts to mountains to rainforests. Most beetles are not aquatic, but a few species live in the water during their adult life stage. The word beetle comes from the word "bite" in old English.

Well-known Beetles: Some well-known beetles include the ladybug (also called the ladybird - helpful in the garden), the firefly, scarab beetles (including the Goliath and Hercules beetles), rove beetles (that superficially look like earwigs), jewel beetles (beautiful agricultural pests), click beetles, weevils, leaf beetles (like the potato beetle), ground beetles (like the bombardier beetle and tiger beetle), diving beetles, and mealworms (which metamorphosize into darkling beetles).