Fabulous Insects – Beetles

Director: Jan Haft

„The Fabulous Insects – Beetles“ presents colourful and bizarrely shaped species as well as the largest beetle in the world, in its habitat in the South American rainforest. The film also shows that the colourful diversity and beauty of beetles and their exciting natural history can be experienced right on our doorstep, in Central Europe. In aesthetic and never-before-seen macro slow-motion and time-lapse shots, the viewer experiences the world of beetles, which is more beautiful, colourful and surprising than many of us realise.
No other group of animals on earth is so diverse: beetles come in a wide variety of ‘models’, from miniature versions a quarter of a millimetre in size to large versions twenty centimetres long. Some beetles flaunt jewel-like iridescent colours, while others wear plain black. Some come in eye-catching warning colours, while many wear an astonishing camouflage. To date, a third of a million beetle species have been discovered. Every fourth animal on our planet belongs to this order. Beetles are useful pollinators and important decomposers of organic waste, for example in forests. Beetles serve as food for countless animals, such as songbirds and bats. However, the most exciting question, to which there is a simple and surprising answer, is: Why are beetles so colourful, diverse and large?