It Cannot Be Crushed Even By A Car!
Diabolical ironclad beetles (Phloeodes diabolicus) measure about 0.6 to 1 inch (15-20 mm) in length, and are found in the woodland habitats in western North America. They mostly live under tree bark. Their outer wing cases (known as elytra) are fused together and multi-layered in structure, forming a crush resistant shield. They are made up of smoothly interlocking jigsaw blades which make them more stiff and strong. They are almost unbreakable, if you smack them or run over them with a car, they will escape away without being crushed. Researchers conducted tests to see how much force their shields could withstand before crushing. They discovered that they could resist forces up to 149 Newton, or 33 lbs (15 kilograms). This was about 39,000 times the beetle’s body weight. This wonderful biological architecture of this beetle’s exoskeleton could help engineers design structures that are more impact resistant.