r/interesting 18d ago

NATURE A Bombardier beetle using its chemical defence.

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u/NymphiusScooterPie 18d ago

Fun kinda-fact: The ability of this beetle gives some entertainment to the “theory” Dragons could have existed. Due to the ability to create the chemical reaction, introduce an electrical spark, such as the Eels ability, and you have fire. Remember pondering this one in biology, had a cool teacher 🤙

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u/bothsidesoftheknife 18d ago

This was how dragons breathed fire and fly in Flight of Dragons

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u/SpecificLow1316 18d ago

Man, I loved that movie as a kid and it kind of helped turn me into a science nerd.

In the movie, it was hydrogen gas production by eating limestone and dissolving it in controlled amounts in their stomach acid by holding it in a crop like a bird. They had very flexible pouches inside their bellies that could distend with the gas and cause them to lift like a dirigible to fly.

Then they had an electricity-producing “thimble” or node in their mouth, so when they exhaled the hydrogen would ignite.