A shiny black pinacate beetle on sand. — Photo: Ken-Ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pinacate Beetle

Eleodes species

A black desert darkling beetle of the western U.S., also called the stink beetle, that does a headstand and sprays a bad smell.

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About the Pinacate Beetle

Pinacate beetles are darkling beetles of the western U.S., from Arizona to California. They are smooth and black, a little over an inch long, and their front wings are fused, so they can't fly. They hide under rocks and logs by day and come out at night to eat decaying plants. They don't need to drink because their bodies make water from their food.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Eleodes species^[1]
Size: A little over an inch long.^[1]
Lifespan: Adults live 3 to 15 years.^[1]
Diet: Scavenger. Decaying plant matter.^[1]
Habitat: Many habitats, especially dry ones; under rocks and logs by day.^[1]
Where it lives: Western United States, from Arizona to California.^[1]
Group life: Nocturnal; lives on the ground.^[1]
Conservation status: Common; not endangered. Not assessed by the IUCN.^[1]

Fun facts

Pinacate beetles do headstands to spray a stinky smell.^[1]
Their bodies make water, so they don't need to drink.^[1]
Their larvae look like mealworms.^[1]

Vocabulary

elytra: The hard front wings of a beetle.
metamorphosis: A big change in body form as an animal grows up, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
larva: The young stage of an insect that looks different from the adult (plural: larvae).
scavenger: An animal that eats dead plants or animals it finds.
darkling beetle: A member of a large family of mostly dark, ground-living beetles.

See it in person

San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · InvertebratesSee 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. “Darkling Beetle.” https://www.sfzoo.org/darkling-beetle/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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