Several pale blue-gray death-feigning beetles on a rock. — Photo: Ltshears, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Blue Death-Feigning Beetle

Cryptoglossa verrucosa

A pale blue desert beetle from the southwestern U.S. that flops over and plays dead when startled.

Checking teacher reviews…

Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Blue Death-Feigning Beetle

Blue death-feigning beetles live in the southwestern United States. Their steel-gray to pale blue color helps them blend in. If they get wet, they turn flat black, and the blue comes back when they dry. They eat plants and dead animal matter, and can live up to 10 years.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Cryptoglossa verrucosa^[1]
Lifespan: Up to 10 years.^[1]
Diet: Plants and dead animal matter.^[1]
Habitat: Desert, often near water.^[1]
Where it lives: Southwestern United States.^[1]
Conservation status: Common; not endangered. Not assessed by the IUCN.^[1]

Fun facts

These beetles play dead when startled.^[1]
They turn black when wet and blue again when dry.^[1]
They can live up to 10 years, long for an insect.^[1]

Vocabulary

feign: To pretend.
camouflage: Colors, patterns or shapes that help an animal blend in.
scavenger: An animal that eats dead plants or animals it finds.
insect: A small animal with six legs and a body in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.
beetle: An insect with hard front wings that cover its back.

See it in person

San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · InvertebratesSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
Oakland ZooOakland, California · House of BugsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Death Feigner Beetle.” https://www.sfzoo.org/death-feigner-beetle/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Insects

Black Beauty Walking StickPeruphasma schulteiA critically endangered black stick insect with yellow eyes and red wings, found in the wild in one tiny patch of Peru.Dubia RoachBlaptica dubiaA South American forest cockroach that eats fruit and is widely raised as food for zoo and pet reptiles.Garden Fruit ChaferPachnoda sinuataA brown-and-yellow African scarab beetle that eats fruit and flowers and whose grubs help build soil.Giant CockroachBlaberus speciesA big, glossy tropical cockroach from Central and South America that grows three inches long and helps break down dead plants.Giant Prickly Stick InsectExtatosoma tiaratumA spiky Australian stick insect, also called the Australian walking stick, that curls its tail up like a scorpion to scare predators.Jungle NymphHeteropteryx dilatataA big, thorny, leaf-green stick insect of tropical rainforests whose females snap their spiny back legs together in defense.Madagascar Hissing CockroachGromphadorhina portentosaA large, wingless cockroach from Madagascar that hisses by pushing air out of its breathing holes.New Guinea Walking StickEurycantha calcarataA big, bulky, spiny stick insect from New Guinea that looks like a piece of bark and hides in groups by day.Orchid MantisHymenopus coronatusA pink-and-white Southeast Asian praying mantis that looks like an orchid flower and ambushes the insects that visit it.Pinacate BeetleEleodes speciesA black desert darkling beetle of the western U.S., also called the stink beetle, that does a headstand and sprays a bad smell.Red Harvester AntPogonomyrmex barbatusA seed-collecting desert ant of the southwestern U.S. with a painful sting, often mistaken for fire ants.Velvet AntFamily MutillidaeNot an ant at all: a fuzzy, brightly colored wasp whose wingless females have a very painful sting.Western Honey BeeApis melliferaThe familiar honey-making bee, which lives in large, organized hives with a queen, drones and workers.White-Spotted Assassin BugPlatymeris biguttataA black African assassin bug with two big white spots that stabs insect prey with its beak and injects digestive juices.