The Black Beetles

A particular interest of mine is wildlife, likely due to my former employment as a Guide. The new Earth has a berth of animal and plant life, evolved for the thinner atmosphere. The plants all collect their water from the ground, of all things, via subterranean roots. These roots are able to extract water from moist soil.

Due to their backwards nature, trees on New Earth can grow to immense sizes, although never very high. Today, my patron took me to a tree that he claimed was the widest in the entire world. It was 5.81 meters in radius, which is a bit overkill, in my opinion. The thickest tree on the old Earth was not even 2 meters in radius. 1.43 meters, if I remember correctly.

Of course, the occupants of New Earth have evolved myriads of other adaptations to their atmosphere. For example, approximately 80%* of animal species on New Earth belong to Arthropoda, a group completely armoured by an "exoskeleton" to keep in moisture.

Particularly successful, in this part of the world, are the Black Beetles. All beetles are insects, which have six walking limbs and, generally, two pairs of wings. Beetles differ from other insects in that their front wings have become an even harder shell, to add a layer of protection.

Unfortunately, their extra protection does not seem to make a single difference against humans, as dozens of carapaces belonging to Black Beetles can be found on any given sidewalk. It is also possible that the immense number of dead Black Beetles signify nothing other than an even more immense number of live Black Beetles, as they have been seen exiting and entering holes in the ground, leading to the possibility of a mainly subterranean lifestyle.

Black Beetles are approximately 3.75 centimeters long and come in two varieties, those with horns and those without. The simpler design is smooth, with a rounded body that is held up off of the ground. It has small hooks on its legs for grasping grass.

The horned variety has an upper shell that tapers downwards and to a point above the head. The head itself has a growth that tapers upwards and backwards in a similar way, making a pair of vertical false pincers. The relation between these varieties is unclear.



*Patron's note: this information was taken from Wikipedia, and thus cannot be trusted. As a perfect example, Wikipedia currently claims that 80% of animals are arthropods and 90% are insects, meaning that negative 10% are non-insect arthropods.