Beetles shared Earth with dinosaursPosted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus Beetles first appeared on Earth at the same time as the earliest dinosaurs but turned out to be much better survivors, a new evolutionary study has shown. Today, there are an estimated 350,000 known species of beetle on Earth, and probably several million more yet to be discovered, say scientists. The insects account for about a quarter of all life forms on the planet. Comments: 0 Score: [-] 182 [+].