Beetles are the largest order of both the insect and the animal worlds. Approximately 300,000 species, some 26,000 of which exist in the United States, have been identified. Every year, however, thousands of new species are discovered and classified. Beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica. There is no reason to believe that some of these highly adaptable creatures do not exist on the somewhat temperate Antarctic Peninsula.

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2023. 2p.