Video
Where have all the Christmas beetles gone?
For many Australians these big, ornamental-looking beetles are a happy sign of the start of the silly season – but are their numbers dwindling?
Tag: insects
Wildlife
A guide to the scorpions of Australia
Despite a fearsome reputation in other parts of the world, scorpions in Australia are relatively harmless and come in a surprising variety of sizes and colours.
Wildlife
GALLERY: Australian scorpions
Scorpions prey upon anything smaller than themselves: beetles, crickets, spiders and even small frogs and skinks. From rainforests to deserts, the Australian environment is incredibly varied and may be home to more than 100 species of scorpion.
News
Insects could shed light on evolution of consciousness
Insects have the capacity for ‘subjective experience’ and the brain structures that support this basic form of consciousness originated more than 480 million years ago, two Australian researchers have argued in a paper out today.
Wildlife
Globetrotting butterflies
Delicate and beautiful, butterflies are also intrepid travellers, making impressive journeys across the globe.
Science & Environment
Grub’s up!
Eating insects is growing in popularity. Are they just a trendy addition to city restaurants, or might they be the solution to feeding the planet’s burgeoning population?
Wildlife
Reader video: Cicada shedding
AG reader Ally Wilson spent hours capturing this footage of a cicada shedding its exoskeleton.
News
Australian bees ‘head bang’ for pollen
We’re all familiar with the sight of a bee burying its head in a flower, but what actually happens in those moments before it re-emerges, covered in pollen?
Reader Photos
Elephant weevil (Othorhinus cylindrirostris)
This elephant weevil was found climbing among the bright colours of a Gold Coast garden.
Wildlife
Dinosaur ant
Considered a ‘living fossil’, the dinosaur ant may have finally met its match in climate change