Is A Beetle An Arthropod [better] Official

“You’ve found something good,” the old man said, pulling out a thick magnifying lens on a swiveling arm. “But you look confused. Let’s ask the beetle itself.”

Leo stared. The beetle’s entire body was encased in what looked like a suit of overlapping plates. The head was a helmet. The thorax (Grandfather pointed to the middle section) was a buckler. The shell over the abdomen was a polished cuirass. Even the antennae were beaded segments of rigid armor. is a beetle an arthropod

He placed the leaf under the lens and adjusted the focus. The beetle’s world exploded into a landscape of alien geometry. “You’ve found something good,” the old man said,

“Jointed,” Grandfather said, stressing the word. “The word ‘arthropod’ comes from ancient Greek. Arthron means ‘joint.’ Podos means ‘foot’ or ‘leg.’ An arthropod is a ‘jointed-foot’ creature.” The beetle’s entire body was encased in what

“First,” Grandfather said, “watch it move. Count the legs.”