How do click beetles jump?

The spring-loaded "click" of a click beetle is one of the most unique ways of jumping in the insect world! Once I heard about how they do it, and the latch they use to power their jump, it immediately became a thing I just had to film in maco slow-motion detail!
For more about these beetles check out these references:
Bolmin et al. (2019) "Latching of the click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) thoracic hinge enabled by the morphology and mechanics of conformal structures" jeb.biologists.org/content/22...
Evans (1972) "The jump of the click beetle (Coleoptera, Elateridae)-a preliminary study" doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1...
music from soundofpicture.com

[@Ididathing]

Amazing footage! I used to play with these as a kid until one clicked up and hit me in the eye

[@AntLab]

yikes! beetle in the eye is never good.

[@alveolate]

it's all fun and games until beetle hits back

[@riot_baby2296]

What are you making now

[@grandmacat406]

L

[@ugandanleader3180]

Yooooo your my favourite KZbinr

[@ununun9995]

The way insects evolve to have mechanics close to that of a mech fascinate me.

[@hollow6189]

I always think of bugs as like biological machines or robots

[@paneuropa9486]

Lol it’s engineering by a designer. This action only works in its full state, thinking this was produced by gradual unguided mutations to suddenly have a function is delusional.

[@ununun9995]

@@paneuropa9486 And when did that supposed designer did it?

[@paneuropa9486]

Is that supposed to be an argument suggesting that unguided mutations can magically build a function such as this? Keep in mind, these creatures would go extinct if they couldn’t flip themselves over... but somehow over “millions of years” they survived without it to one day have such a flip over feature. Stupid.

[@umamifan]

@@paneuropa9486 This is the part that I can never wrap my head around... Things just work way too perfectly with each other. It's like they were given attributes by an intelligent being... It's just so hard to conceptualize all of these animals evolving into a perfect ecosystem where everything falls into place with everything else!!

[@ScareFest]

I’ve always though the clicking was a way of scaring predators. I’ve seen people freak out because it was so unexpected. My cats will also play with them but when the beetle clicks and flies up they run away

[@supersaiyancommenter]

I love your pfp

[@tekashimaahshiha647]

When my cats would see them they would try and eat them

[@Downtown_Equip]

It definitely scared me when I saw it jump for the first time 😭

[@scottblues2332]

Imagine if it goes through all of that and just lands on its back lol

[@aisu8481]

*Lands on tails 5 times* FFFUUUUUUUU-

[@chillmushroom6016]

Lol was finding a comment

[@mrdude88]

Or it lands on its legs and a human picks it up and flip it upside down again. I know that’s what I did as a kid.

[@tekashimaahshiha647]

I had one in my room that would jump everywhere when I try to sleep

[@littleamig0]

I literally did this today 😭 it was on my wall so I tried to trap it but it was so close to the corner of the wall that it escaped my tin can and flinged itself. I felt uneasy bc it was right above my bed so I shook my blanket until I found it but it just kept jumping in the can.. finally found what it really was tho and it’s pretty cool

[@edojap]

I can’t wrap my head around the fact this channel doesn’t have at least 1M subs. The quality of your videos is absolutely amazing and i’m so excited everytime i see a new one has come out.

[@oliviagreen7423]

It's a well kept secret, I only found out about this channel through another science one. I'm very happy because I was missing out and the stupid algorithm never recommended it to me😕

[@AntLab]

thanks! glad you dig the videos!

[@alveolate]

give your lineage a couple thousand years and you'll evolve a way to wrap your head around it xD

[@angelfigueroa310]

People too busy watching stupid people doing stupid things on tik tok

[@verlissescott4811]

No no no Shinobi

[@williamosman]

You think one ever tried to jump and it's head ripped off?

[@AntLab]

natural selection leads to a lot of dead ends. 100% that was one. I was gonna include talking about how the latch has its own special body cavity it goes into. kinda a self-impalement-avoidance hole.

[@blazerblast5075]

Hey it’s cool to see you here! 👋

[@AnAceBrit]

Did recommendations lead you here?

[@palmchristmastree]

@@AntLab very interesting

[@jessicaesquivel2057]

maybe

[@huntera4825]

I love this channel. As a kid I would catch these little guys and it’s awesome seeing the mechanics of how it all works. Thanks and keep up the excellent work.

[@Agos735]

This guy is seriously underrated. Videos are high quality and kept short and simple. And not to mention, I learn more here than in most lectures XD

[@minimonster2319]

Found one of these in my bed. I have struggled with bug phobia for a while, but learning about them helps me feel less afraid. Thank you for teaching people.

[@SamCyanide]

Love this thing, flips over, freaks out for a second then just hucks itself into orbit

[@sassafrassanid5718]

This channel has opened my eyes to how the most graceful of insects seem incredibly dopey when examined this closely. Fantastic work

[@MiltonFahrtFahrrad]

A Few weeks ago, i had one in my livingroom. I were really Happy to have this Special guest:)

[@StefanMilo]

This footage is amazing. Great job as always!

[@chrisgenovese8188]

When I finally saw the spring being set in their body, it was truly an ah-ha moment! Thanks man!

[@scary7172]

this is actually the best videography of insects i've ever seen

[@dindon6947]

I wish I had listened to my younger self and had studied entomology instead of being an unemployed journalist. Well, at least I have Ant Lab.

[@Jasekingg]

should've went the biology route

[@THEDRAWINGSTUDIO1]

I worked with these little fellas (members of oophorini and pyrophorini, mostly) at undergraduate research. Some of these members glow to attract mates and warn predators. The intensity of the glow can vary depending on the proximity of the predator.

[@fuzzprobably]

i learned about click beetles when one woke me up in the middle of the night by flying right by my ear, hitting my cheek, falling on its back, and clicking. scared the crap outta me. great video!

[@mikehazelwood6106]

I grew up in a large, noisy city and after high school, moved to rural Appalachia! A few months later, I moved to a remote farmhouse where it's "absolutely silent" at night! One night I woke up to a faint ticking sound, much like an old type clock or watch! I got up and after looking for a few minutes, found a Click But, trying again and again to "right itself!" No matter how high it flipped, it always landed on it's back! After a few minutes, I carefully scooped it up and tossed it outside to regain my bedroom's silence!

[@ItsToXxy]

I used play with these when I was little. Was always amazed how high they could jump.

[@0Firstfall0]

This is an amazing video! Everything is well filmed, explained and caught in slow motion. Perfect!

[@goldenmeerkat2166]

I looked up clicking beetle after i started hearing a strange repeating clicking noise in my room. I walked towards the source of the noise and saw one of these beetles trapped in a web and being attacked by a spider, trying to “click” itself away to safety

[@aisu8481]

“Alright nice and easy” *pancake catapults into ceiling* “Hm. Spatula next time.”

[@socool1216]

You thought you did something didn't you🤔😭😐💀

[@aisu8481]

@@socool1216 why you have a towel under your hat

[@captainmimiandtheinvisiblecrew]

I always wondered about these little guys, thank you for the wonderful footage and explanation! so glad I found this channel

[@psalm302]

I remember playing with these so much as a kid the ones in my area always have green glow in the dark lights on there backs

[@chaseosborne595]

Wrong bug dude

[@psalm302]

chase osborne they are called cocuyo not the same but still a click beetle and very similar they glow in the dark a weird green color. cocuyo

[@WithASideOfTibbs]

@@chaseosborne595 They're right though, it's a genus of click beetle called Pyrophorus. They usually have two bioluminescent green spots that never stop glowing on part of their thorax. They're very pretty insects. :)

[@crayder1100]

Idk how I've never seen these before but last night my cats had found one in the living room. I could hear it clicking from across the house. When I went to investigate I found my cats searching for it, pushing it gently with their paws, waiting for it to pop, then searching again. Great cat toys!

[@IzzyGaming-ux1nn]

0:16 Video: Soft peaceful music Beetle: *I AM ROCKET SHIP*

[@nacachola1]

Great content/edition/quality of images!

[@prashantjha164]

Don't stop making these kind of videos !! Thanks..... love from India

[@BC-zw2wz]

Thank you for producing this engaging content Dr. Smith! I have never been so intrigued by insects until I started watching your videos.

[@gergelybuday7433]

Amazing video, as always! Keep up the good work!

[@FolksingerFitness]

Loving this channel. Insects are truly amazing!

[@jimfowler5930]

Simply stunning: each of your videos. Thank you sir.

[@Drainhair]

These beetles are so interesting, thank you for the shots!

[@vDuzz]

This channel is criminally underrated!

[@warriorx90]

Thanks Weevil Underwood! I looked up your video because there was one of these under my desk. I also remember playing with these as a kid. They never clicked up and hit me in the eye, though.

[@DwaynedPearce]

Love how he struggles of a min then is like "**** this" then blasts off

[@franciscopaz5952]

what a wonderful video, Adrian!!

[@yuukisama2001]

I always found these insects fun to examine as a child. I never would have imagined there being more to their character.

[@rade-blunner7824]

I only just now noticed, but nice colour choices for the backgrounds/text on your past few videos, spices things up a little.

[@stivcdl]

I love your channel so much. Your content is amazing! I avoid watching it while I'm eating, though.

[@johnarmon7818]

Love your work!! Very interesting and fun learning!

[@kevinjefferey9792]

Ive always loved these beetles. Played with them every time i saw one.

[@DahnHuan]

I found out about these things after one fell in my hair at 27 lol bout 3 years ago. Living where I do. I’m surprised I’ve never seen them before. Used to be a big kid growing up lol

[@h0yj0y]

love your channel!!!

[@marifalk9804]

Great videos! You are great to listen to and to learn with!

[@stvoodoo]

Seriously, fascinating video!

[@Atkinsfan]

Exceedingly interesting. Good work !!

[@andreiisnardis8575]

Amazing! Your work is great! Thank you for sharing it.

[@justinandrus6731]

I always thought it was the spurs on the side of their head that they used as a latch mechanism I never realized it was underneath him that was very informative and very interesting I love the con tent that you’ve been putting out lately please continue to do so as I am a huge fan of entomology

[@idid1866]

Cool to see their mechanism so close!

[@Based_Face]

This channel is AWESOME!!! You deserve a lot more subs.

[@AntLab]

Thanks!

[@correctog3836]

Your work is beautiful, blessings.

[@alwade24]

Very cool video!

[@bakhtiyar94]

Thanks you for your channel, and yoursel.

[@tomthomas5891]

great video mate you really deserve a million subscriber

[@AX-11]

Came here when I found one of your fire ant videos in my recommended. And I stayed for the awesome footage and interesting ant facts. I don't understand how you produce content on par with other educational youtubers, yet you only have 25K subs???

[@Spectrulus]

Wow. I had never seen not appreciated the mechanisms of these beetles before. The slow motion footage was, as usual for this channel, incredible. Would you be able to get some footage of something like a house fly's wings moving at a close up view like that to see the patterns it makes?

[@finophile]

I've been exploring your great videos. Great flight slowmotion work in some of the others too. The macro work is also very well done. However what really prompted me to comment was you appear to be wearing a Seiko SNK805 which really has become an iconic field watch in the Seiko community. Thanks again for your great posts. Informative and entertaining. This is what KZbin should be for

[@ulrikchristiansen]

This is a great channel!!

[@wednesday567]

i love this channel

[@lunarmadness1483]

I caught one of these when I was a kid. It was so interesting studying how it could spring itself.

[@mastergamers6057]

So interesting all you're formats! School could really be more interesting with you're amazing insight! Thanks for sharing!

[@Ifelloffmydino]

Best channel on youtube!

[@GandalfTheTsaagan]

This might be my favourite vid only because my cat is sitting on my desk while I watch this and he seems very amused by the beetles going up and down, given how he stares at them as they go

[@madisonphillips3380]

Awesome video

[@BlamBlam80]

I love you videos, fascinating

[@tonytaylor7678]

Thank you - excellent video

[@justsomepersononyoutube9271]

You deserve to have 100k subs

[@KetanPatil]

thank you so much for making this video 👍🏼

[@stargazermg]

I loved these little guys when I was a kid!

[@CMZneu]

great video!

[@MatthewParksPhotography]

This was really neat to see up close. I just recovered a click beetle from my daughter’s bedroom about ten minutes ago. I’ve always liked these as a kid. I would gently press on their back so they would click. Don’t worry. I was always careful not to press hard enough to cause any injury. Still, I don’t do this anymore, out of respect.

[@mcnm]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ronellepatterson4176]

I just saw a black and white one the other day in my garden. Fascinating 😮

[@ericmoore3174]

Nice work

[@purrjenny1]

I have never heard of these before. Cool

[@Gottacacheemalll]

That’s the best kip up I’ve ever seen!

[@washedout8055]

Great video

[@jnotyourbusiness1798]

Keep it up!!! Love it!!!

[@bananabuttjuicer9915]

Had to look this little dude up. Woke me from a good sleep doing backflips on my hardwood floors. Had to evict him

[@dreadedkitty980]

Love the videos. Just got a new sub.

[@williamsurname4669]

I've seen these in my house. I put them outside because I didn't want to step on them, but I found them fascinating. Thank you for making my brain smart.

[@ZombieB]

Thanks for the information

[@Shadobanned4life]

Cool vid !!

[@AdroitJake]

A new fan I am! 🤙

[@-beee-]

Goofy bug "landings" are definitely one of the highlights of this channel

[@GalenMarek1988]

NGL, i only came here to laugh hysterically at the slo mo 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@angelfigueroa310]

This is awesome

[@katcruz876]

I keep a Headlight Elator beetle i caught in my back yard as a pet i really love the little guy. his name is Click and he has a great sense of humor and knows im not a threat to him anymore.

[@basheerc.7245]

Even though I hate bugs, I love learning about them lol

[@malibuhiegts]

Bugs are so Interesting, they are like little autonomous robots with their antena

[@basheerc.7245]

@@malibuhiegts right haha. Plus it just fascinates me as to how other worldly they look haha

[@malibuhiegts]

@@basheerc.7245 haha yeah

[@ahmedalaouibenzakroum5525]

Merci beaucoup pour cette belle vidéo. C'est très instructif. 👍👍👍👍❤️

[@joejoefasho4267]

I wish I was able to see it click in full speed, also what it sounds like

[@AntLab]

yeah, that would have been a good scene to include. On the other hand, that's what the rest of the click beetle videos on KZbin are for!

[@erinh4443]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!!! I wish I had a video of what prompted me to look this up because I’m sure it was entertaining- I’ll now be putting horror movie scream on my resume! One of these guys was in an outdoor ashtray I was cleaning out and I thought it was dead then “pop” and it was flying at my face! But I had questions about that sound it made- and this was very interesting!!

[@lilukie]

Dope video

[@patrickd3992]

Fascinating creature. I have a popping insect in my room right now, it's popping continuously since an hour. Then, I searched on Google "Popping insect" then I got on this video. Not sure if it's the same beetle. But it looks kinda similar. The more you know.

[@armouredkawaii6248]

Click beetle: gotta work with that landing, carl... Click beetle 2: yah yah. I know.

[@tekashimaahshiha647]

I been wondering how they jumped and this vid help

[@chaster_mief]

"In other spring loaded animals..." I never considered that animals really be spring loaded out here

[@SergeantKeeganPRuss]

Here before the channel blows up