C is for Coleoptera

An order of insects commonly known as beetles.

Ok, I know my last two posts were a tad on the long side, so I’ll try to keep this one short…er.

1) Coleoptera, meaning caped crusader sheath-winged, is the largest order of insects and constitutes almost 25% of all known life-forms on the planet. Just sit and think about that for a minute before looking at the pretty picture.





2) About 40% of all known insect species are beetles, one of which being the scarab beetle (sometimes called the Dung beetle) *insert pooptastic joke here*.

3) The Egyptians believed scarab beetles were associated with the Egyptian god, Khepri. It was believed that Khepri renewed the sun each morning and pushed it across the sky, just like scarab beetles pushing balls of dung across the ground. The scarab beetle became a symbol for rebirth and good luck.

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I'm a bit flash fictioned out this evening (I know, I'm such an amateur). Actually, I just want to get to bed before midnight. Are we at Z yet? Anyway, I thought I'd copy and paste share with you part of my wip where I metion the above beetle. Warning, this is a first draft excerpt that still needs tweeking. If you have tweeking suggestions/comments please leave them below. (:

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“Sumatra,” he mouthed and his expression darkened. I reached for my pressure point but felt a cold breeze lick my ear instead. I spun away from the edge of the terrace to face the last of the group. She was floating in mid-air in front of me with a vixen smile. I took a step back, my heart pounding as I watched her gracefully sweep herself over the edge of the railing and onto the terrace. She was stunningly beautiful and paid me little notice. Her ebony black hair was pulled back into a long sleek pony tail. And around her slender neck, lay an intricate gold necklace from which hung a pendent in the shape of a scarab beetle. Her dark eyes rivaled the black of night and her skin, a faded chestnut color, made her appear more human than her pale faced counterparts. She wore a long gold and lavender layered chiffon dress that flowed around her perfect physique. She looked like an African queen, a queen whose attention was riveted on Ayden.