Guardians of the Aquifer: Meet the Beetles
Vocabulary
Endangered Species
Any species at risk of going extinct.
Extinct Species
When a species no longer exists on earth, having suffered an extinction.
Threatened Species
A species that is vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.
Habitat
The natural environment in which a species, or group of species, lives.
Species
A group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
Learn More
GET INVOLVED
Visit the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s Habitat Conservation team’s plan and see how you can get involved.
READ
Protecting the environment of the beetles requires a partnership between government and people; read a sample press-release authorizing the official protection for this habitat.
STUDY
The Fish and Wildlife Service also study these critters and have created fact sheets.
PODCAST
The Recharge Zone Podcast is the official podcast for the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), a regional water management agency, which protects the portion of the Balcones Fault Zone Edwards Aquifer – a jurisdictional area that provides water to over 2.5 million people, and covers more than 8,000 square miles across 8 counties! Tune in to charge up your knowledge on all things Edwards Aquifer from the EAA.
Watch: Guardians of the Aquifer (1:22 mins)
Meet the beetles! Tune in as Olivia Ybarra, EAA Habitat Conservation Program Coordinator II, shares facts about the two endangered beetle species that live in the Comal Springs.
Videos
Watch the Comal Springs Riffle Beetle and the Comal Springs Dryopid Beetle move through their underwater habitat.
Activities
Draw The Riffle Beetle
Color Reina the Riffle Beetle
Comal Springs Riffle Beetles only grow to about 0.02 cm. That’s about the size of a strawberry seed!
My, How You’ve Changed
Try your hand at creating a creature with adaptations designed only for the environment YOU create in your mind. This download will guide you through a 2-D and 3-D creation.
