Generally, when we think of beetles we imagine something black and vaguely menacing, slowly crawling towards our foot. GAH! It turns out, not all beetles are that way.

Don't get us wrong, a lot of them are, but some of them are super cute. Like, we might even swallow our pride and say the word "adorbs" when it comes to this totally ... adorbs red milkweek beetle. Its Latin name is derived from "four eyes." D'awwww! It's a nerd, just like us!

We would be lying if we said that weeding through all the creepy crawlies didn't make us have a bit of a panic attack. But we think it's worth it to share with you these 15 adorable beetles that won't make you scream in terror (especially because they are safely trapped in image form on your computer screen).

  • 1

    Christmas Beetle

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    Christmas beetles are found around the Christmas season in Australia. That's how they got that name. It's not because they make good gifts.

  • 2

    Golden Tortoise Beetle

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    The golden tortoise beetle lives in sweet potato and morning glory plants and has microscopic valves under its shell that regulates moisture. It uses these to change color.

  • 3

    Hispine Beetle

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    Okay, so these guys are kind of problematic to coconut crops, BUT so are we, once pina colada season rolls around. (/jk not the same thing at all).

  • 4

    Leaf Beetle

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    This particular species of leaf beetle was only just recently discovered in Suriname, so not much is known about it. Instead, did you know Dutch is the official language of Suriname? Knowledge!!

  • 5

    Citrus Root Weevil

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    This little guy is actually a pretty big pest, but its colloquial name in Spanish is chichí, which is, incidentally a family nickname of ours.

  • 6

    Tuft Bearing Longhorn Beetle

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    This tuft bearing longhorn beetle is related to the red milkweed beetle. Cuteness must run in the family (Get it?! Taxonomy!). You can buy one to hang in your apartment here.

  • 7

    Cottonwood Borer

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    The cottonwood borer is one of the largest insects in North America.

  • 8

    Rainbow Leaf Beetle

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    The rainbow leaf beetle feeds mostly on wild thyme and prefers the flowers to the leaves. La-di-da, you fancy.

  • 9

    Red Blister Beetle

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    This little guy secretes a toxin that will blister your skin, so don't touch it. It also dissolves warts, which may not be cute, but it is sort of practical.

  • 10

    Reddish Potato Beetle

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    This beetle is sort of like those awful June bugs, only red, and far enough away that we've never had one ruin our night by flying into the screen door for a solid 35 minutes.

  • 11

    White Scarab Beetle

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    This beetle uses its antennae to sense odors, and also looks like somebody painted over it.

  • 12

    Jewel Beetle

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    Little is known of Temognatha alternata, since it has never been formally described. It can be found in Australia and also, look, pretty colors!

  • 13

    Dung Beetle

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    We thought we could maybe help your phobia by taking one of the more creepy beetles ... and putting a top hat on it. Did it work?

  • 14

    Hercules Beetle

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    If you were put off by the formality of that, here's a Hercules beetle (which can lift up to 850 times its own weight) wearing more of an Indiana Jones-type hat.

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