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scarab beetle

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

Any of about 30,000 beetle species (family Scarabaeidae), found worldwide, that are compact, heavy-bodied, and oval. Each antenna terminates in three flattened plates that fit together to form a club. The outer edges of the front legs may be toothed or scalloped. Species range from about 0.2 to 4.8 in. (5 to 120 mm) long and include one of the heaviest known insects. One species of dung beetle, Scarabaeus sacer, was sacred to the ancient Egyptians. Many species are agricultural pests (e.g., chafer, Japanese beetle, June beetle); many are popular with insect collectors because they are large and have beautifully coloured, hard, highly polished forewings.


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A day of beetle mania
; ...about one sort of foot, the type surrounded by a boot. To a scarab beetle, a piece of dung the size of a five cent piece is what an...life. And it is simply wondrous. Apart from the ingenious scarab beetle and his problematic ball of dung, there are also such spectacles... Read more
Delve deeper into the Middle East
; ...Walker, 2006), ages 6 and older, is narrated by Khepri, the scarab beetle who saves the life of a prince. Named for the "rising sun...ancient Egypt and the wisdom of a young boy who trusts a scarab beetle. Each of these stories offers a beautiful and exotic glimpse... Read more
TUT WHAT? MEET THE BEETLES
; ...the physical impermanence of life." Meet the beetle. The scarab beetle, that is, one of 115 objects that will be featured in "The...transform is `kheper' as well. Both words are written with the scarab beetle," said Professor Betsy Bryan, who left her Johns Hopkins... Read more
The Animal World of the Pharaohs.(Review)
; ...although it includes the harmless scarab beetle; exotic animals collected by or for...creatures from being treated in depth. The scarab beetle, one of the most important and widely...I have often wondered why, if the scarab beetle actually pushes its ball of dung backwards... Read more
Choice Cuts: Meat Production in Ancient Egypt.(Review)
; ...although it includes the harmless scarab beetle; exotic animals collected by or for...creatures from being treated in depth. The scarab beetle, one of the most important and widely...I have often wondered why, if the scarab beetle actually pushes its ball of dung backwards... Read more
Quest for immortality: Egyptian artifacts visit Nashville through Oct. 8.
; ...and jackals, birds such as falcons, and insects such as the scarab beetle played a big part. Egyptians did not worship the animals...Egyptian beliefs but has at least 75 different looks, from the scarab beetle representing the morning sun to the ram for the setting sun... Read more
Don't go through the week without ...: Purring ...
; ...an Egyptian cat at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. Follow the trail of sacred animals, such as cats, crocodiles and the scarab beetle. Find out why the ancient Egyptians believed the beetles were symbols of rebirth. There will be an educational chat about... Read more
Kids' questions answered.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
; ...can't grow and hold the soil in place. Q. I read about the scarab beetle of Egypt. Does it exist and will you get sick if it bites...they will pull in their legs and ``play dead.'' The sacred scarab beetle of Egyptian fame is a dung beetle, or tumblebug, as it is... Read more
Watch out, there are huge beetles about.(News)
; ...something hit me on the back of the head, said Dubliner Jenny who had been visiting friends in Northumberland, England. Entomologist Eric Morton, from Newcastle, said: It's a kind of scarab beetle. They're clumsy fliers, but they are harmless enough. Read more
May bug too close for comfort ; The almost ominous whine of a cockchafer or "May bug" had me flinch as it flew by my left ear at a rate of knots. Willow had glanced up warily, too, and then another shot by, having me wondering just how fast they can fly - and why the hurry? I've known them zoom around a lighted room and off out again in a most disconcerting manner.
; ...though they rarely occur in the swarms they once used to. Chafer simply means "biter" and the various chafers belong to the scarab beetle family, the Scarabaeidae, which includes the biggest known beetles. There were a few bats about, and I wondered if bats catch... Read more

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

scarab beetle
...North America. North American scarab beetles range in length from less than...grow several inches long. Many scarab beetles are brightly colored and many are iridescent. A large group of scarab beetles are scavengers, feeding on decaying... Read more
scarab beetle
scarab beetle Any of several different species of broad beetles distributed worldwide. Most, including the June bug, Japanese beetle, and rhinoceros beetle, are leaf chafers. A smaller group, including the dung beetle , are scavengers. Family Scarabaeidae. Read more
scarab
...x2C8;sker- / • n. (also scarab beetle or sacred scarab ) a large dung beetle ( Scarabaeus sacer ) of the eastern...Egypt. Family Scarabaeidae (the scarab family ) also includes the smaller dung beetles and chafers, together with some... Read more
scarab
scarab beetle XVI; gem cut in the form of a beetle XIX. — L. scarabæus ; cf. Gr. kárabos stag beetle. Read more
scarab
...was inspired by the life cycle of the scarab beetle ; the dung balls that the beetles consume...passage of the sun across the heavens. Many scarabs were made of precious metals and were...during the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. scarab scarab scarab Read more

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