• @kep
    link
    87
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    There’s a grain of truth in here, but not quite. One in every four or so (not quite, but we can roll with it regardless) identified species of animal is a beetle. Not one in every four animals, by population nor overall species.

    The reasons for this is are many, but may include because beetles are big, easy to catch, agriculturally-significant, and are particularly easy to pin and study, dramatically boosting the count of beetle species we work with on an academic level (lending to higher identification rates). There are also just a shitload of beetle species, naturally.

    Scientists estimate something closer to ~10 million species of animals, which would still make beetles a huge percentage of the species, but a far cry from 25%. If you looked at the total number (estimated) of individual animals, beetles are pretty insignificant.

    Source: Studied entomology and love me some Coleoptera

    • SonnyVabitch
      link
      79 months ago

      Reporter:
      ‘Is Ringo the best drummer in the world?’

      Lennon:
      ‘Ringo isn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles.’

      • @PeteZ
        link
        19 months ago

        Lennon was such a pleasant fellow.

        • @MermaidsGarden
          link
          19 months ago

          If it makes you feel any better he never said that

          • @Daft_ish
            link
            19 months ago

            It makes me feel angry. Destroy!

    • Nepenthe
      link
      fedilink
      2
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      By namesake, my child should be a Beatle. Not sure if this means I am or that I have to marry a beetle to genetically make that happen. The whole question feels incestuous.

  • 👍Maximum Derek👍
    link
    fedilink
    English
    319 months ago

    The biomass of all living ants is greater than the biomass of every living human.

    As long as we don’t count your mom.

  • Gormadt
    link
    fedilink
    4
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    Welcome to the wonderful world of statistics, shit can look pretty fucky sometimes

    Edit: Basically this is a question of distribution in regards to statistics. Ie: statistically speaking you’re almost completely hydrogen because our universe is almost completely hydrogen.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      29 months ago

      Have you awoken one morning from unsettling dreams and found yourself changed into a monstrous vermin in your bed? Then this tweet is for you.

  • TWeaK
    link
    fedilink
    English
    19 months ago

    For every different type of beetle there is, and the 1800s tell us there are a great many, there exists a species of parasitic wasp that uniquely targets that beetle.