Beetles in one way and another?
By: Ilori Tankpinou
Insects or animals surviving digestion is not unheard of but it’s very rare. But this is the first time that an animal exiting out the backend of an animal has ever been recorded. The animal that was able to exit is called the scientific name Regimbartia attenuata and the frog was Pelophylax nigromaculatus. The frog has no teeth so it eats the beetle and after 6 minutes in a sea of feces the beetle comes out unscathed. Scientists suspect this is because of its exoskeleton it has a shield against the digestive juices. They also breather under water because of their air pockets under their wings.
Are there any other insects that have the same ability as this beetle?
What can we learn from this, is there a way to harness this beetles ability and use it for humans?
Would this beetle be able to survive in an animal like an anteater? They also don’t have teeth and they eat beetles as well.
Sources
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/some-beetles-can-be-eaten-by-a-frog-then-walk-out-the-other-end
https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/08/03/beetle-swallowed-by-frog-survives-comes-out-via-anus/
I do know of a similar beetle, I don't think it survives digestion but it has explosive chemicals and prevents predators from eating it. Its called the Bombardier beetle. I think maybe we could harness the ability for some animals maybe instead of humans. And lastly I think maybe they could survive an anteater dependent on the digestion process.
ReplyDeleteThank you for presenting something so interesting!
-Tyler A.
I found this topic to be interesting, as it shows how unique adaptations can be selected for in a population. I'm not sure how this would be beneficial to humans, or if a similar adaptation could be applied, because we have very different biological structures and functions than beetles, however, this would be an advantageous trait for other insects. A further question that I have is how the beetles' breathe when inside the frogs, is it similar to how they breathe underwater, or can they survive without breathing for six minutes?
ReplyDeleteCarissa Bersche
I looked up other animals that have this ability and found that a brahimny blind snake can also survive the digestive tract of a toad. In the article from BBC News, it stated that the snake's unique skin (like the beetle's exoskeleton) protected it's vital organs from the gastric juices. It seems that the animals' structure/ outer characteristics plays a big role in whether an animal can survive the digestive tract. This was a cool topic to cover!
ReplyDeleteTrinity Mathis
That is really cool Trinity! Thank you for sharing that, it's really interesting how animals evolve to survive better. I will make sure to do more research on this snake.
Delete-Ilori Tankpinou
I think my question about harnessing this ability for humans wasn't asked properly. I mean more so like can we study this beetles covering and use it somehow for medicine or maybe in some kind of medication that'll help people lose weight. I have no idea.
ReplyDelete-Ilori Tankpinou
i have not heard of a similar insect but i did find a case where a a Brahminy blind snake survived being eaten by a common Asian Toad, as well as that Larvae and small marine invertebrates can pass through some predators unharmed. But larger prey items are likely to be chewed to death as soon as they enter an animal's jaws. as to what we can learn from this? im not quite sure, i suppose it helps us better understand digestive systems and how they work as well as better understanding the evolutionary advantages of exoskeletons. As for applying it to humans? i don't see anything capable of eating us in one piece. Would this beetle be able to survive in an animal like an anteater? it is quite possible, although i would imagine the anteater and the frog or toad have very different digestive systems and things could pass through at different speeds, and an anteater could have a digestive system designed to kill bugs like these. -Nathan Clark
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool, I don't think humans could harness this power because if we were to be eaten we would be ripped apart. I do think that would be a interesting "power" to have and I wonder since the frog does not really get the nutrients why have the frogs/other animals not "evolved" to just not eat it.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good example of how many organisms adapt to their environments. It's pretty cool how the beetle evolved to survive being ingested! I've never heard of another organism being able to do that.
ReplyDelete-Shirin Saha
This is my first time hearing about beetles doing this. I was very suprised and interseted in looking up more about them. That is cool.
ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting because its the first time that I knew an insect would ever be able to survive the digestive system. Looking at the information provided here, even though Im not 100 percent sure I think the beetle may be able to survive a anteater because of the shared characteristics that it shares with the frog.
ReplyDelete-Raquel Morgens