Image: A Christmas Beetle (genus Anoplognathus) from Queensland, Australia, by QuestaGamer ‘trcabroad’(CC BY-NC 2.0)
Some people like catching hundreds of different Pokemon. Others prefer the challenge of spotting thousands of beautiful birds. But these endeavours have got nothing on the latest craze - ‘Beetling’. How many of the world’s 400,000 beetle species can you collect?!
As a part of the Beetle Mania bioQuest, competitive gamers will be collecting sightings of as many different beetle species as they can using the mobile app QuestaGame. Not only will they be competing for prizes, but they’ll also be helping scientists better understand one of the largest branches of our family free. The competition is free for anyone to join, from anywhere in the world, running from 6th-22nd April.
“Most people don’t realise just how significant beetles are. They make up a huge part of the tree of life.” says Dr David Yeates, Director of CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection. “In fact one in every four species of animal is actually a beetle. And when you are talking about such vast numbers, this means immense diversity, and ecological impact, which ultimately means there are plenty of truly fascinating and even surprising beetles out there too.”
The Beetle Mania bioQuest is part of QuestaGame’s monthly series of ‘bioQuests’. As players submit sightings of wildlife, bio-experts help the players learn about what they’ve found - while also raising money for their chosen conservation partners. The expert verified observations support environmental research and conservation, as well as bio-security efforts. During April, teams from around the globe are also competing in the University bioQuest, while preparations are underway for the second World bioQuest in May.
Prizes from Australian Geographic and Biome Eco Stores.
For more information, visit questagame.com/bioquest-apr2018/
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