Beetle Mouth-Gears Shout Design | The Institute for Creation Research

Beetle Mouth-Gears Shout Design

Beetles (order Coleoptera) are a unique but common group of insects easily recognized by the pair of shiny forewings covering their body. These protective wing-cases are called the elytra. Beetles make up almost 40% of the described insects in God’s creation. If all zoologists stopped what they were doing and investigated just the Coleoptera, they would easily be busy well into the next century.
 
Beetle research continues to amaze. Japanese biologists recently discovered an astonishing structure within the mandibles (mouth pincers) of the horned beetle (subfamily Dynastinae, AKA, Rhinoceros beetle). The insects were discovered to have complex gear-like structures that operate in “completely synchronous movements.”1 Entomologists at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology reported:

A closer examination revealed that each mandible has two gear teeth, and the two sets mesh. As a result, when one mandible moves, so does the other.2
 
In 2013 New Scientist magazine reported unexpected machinery in insect larvae:

The insect Issus coleoptratus is another animal with an unexpected bit of machinery hidden in its body. Its larvae are the first animals known to have interlocking gears, just like in the gearbox of a car.3
 
Did these complex movements and gear teeth come about by time and chance or plan and purpose? Evolutionists would immediately explain that the gears were not designed, but somehow slowly developed piecemeal. However, an evolutionary publication stated, “It might be that gears are easily broken, and as soon as one tooth is sheared off, the mechanism doesn’t work as well.”3 If that’s true, then how could such a mechanism evolve from teeth that just randomly appeared one after the other? A partial gearbox in a car certainly wouldn’t work, nor would living gears that just randomly intermesh and rotate.   
 

The synchronous movements of the mouth gears of the horned beetle shout design, plan, and purpose! Tweet: The synchronous movements of the mouth gears of the horned beetle shout design, plan, and purpose! 

Beetle Mouth-Gears Shout Design: https://www.icr.org/article/beetle-mouth-gears-shout-design/

@ICRscience

#Science #Research

The synchronous movements of the mouth gears of the horned beetle shout design, plan, and purpose! 
 
References
1. Ichiishi, W. et al. 2019. Completely engaged three-dimensional mandibular gear-like structures in the adult horned beetles reconsideration of bark-carving behaviors (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae). ZooKeys. 813: 89-110.  
2. Marshall, M. 2019. Rhinoceros beetles have weird mouth gears that help them chew. New Scientist. Daily News.  
3. Marshall, M. 2013. Zoologger: Transformer insect has gears in its legs. New Scientist. Posted on newscientist.com on September 12, 2013, accessed on February 12, 2019.   
 
*Mr. Sherwin is Research Associate is at ICR. He earned his master’s in zoology from the University of Northern Colorado.

The Latest
NEWS
July 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome...

NEWS
Valued Longtime ICR Employee Mary Smith Retires
Mary Morris Smith, an employee of the Institute for Creation Research for many years, has retired. The second daughter of ICR founder Dr. Henry M. Morris...

NEWS
Man of Science, Man of God: George Washington Carver
Who:  George Washington Carver What: Father of Modern Agriculture When: 1864 or 1865 – January 5, 1943 Where: Diamond Grove,...

ACTS & FACTS
The Scopes Monkey Trial: A Battle of Worldviews
Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, and its statue of William Jennings Bryan Image credit: M. Mueller The Scopes Monkey...

ACTS & FACTS
Long Non-Coding RNAs: The Unsung Heroes of the Genome
Evolutionary theory holds that all living things came about through random, natural processes. So conventional scientists believe the genome has developed...

ACTS & FACTS
Yosemite National Park, Part 1: Tiny Clues of a Grand Picture
Yosemite National Park in California is a sure source of stunning scenery. It’s no wonder that American naturalist John Muir persuaded President...

ACTS & FACTS
From Inference to Theory: A Common Design Case Study
Without a doubt, humans, chimpanzees, and other organisms share similar features. An early explanation was that these features reflect similar designs...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: T. rex
by Michael Stamp and Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover...

ACTS & FACTS
Entering By The Door
Recently, I hosted a visiting pastor from a large church at ICR’s Discovery Center. As I guided him through our Dallas museum, one conversation...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Mission in Fiji
Michele discusses pages from Explore the World with boys at an orphanage Image credit: Brian Thomas In 2024 my wife, Michele,...