Across deserts, ocean floors, and forest undergrowth, a handful of animals have evolved defenses so extreme they strain belief. Bombardier beetles detonate chemical explosions inside their own bodies.

Some insects sting, some bite, and some spray acid bombs out of their nether regions. It’s a perfectly tactical defense, and highly effective for the bombardier beetle. From a predator’s perspective, ...

The bombardier beetle, known scientifically as Brachinus, is a dark brown to black beetle with reddish-orange legs and head. The beetles are small in size, roughly half an inch to one inch in length.