Christmas is associated with donkeys, reindeer, turkeys and robins. Beetles do not spring to mind when we think of the holiday season. However, there is a Christmas beetle in Australia. It has gone missing. It used to be a sign that Christmas was on its way. An insect expert said: "Everybody over the age of 35 remembers there being huge numbers of Christmas beetles when they were kids, but that just doesn't seem to happen any more."

The shiny, harmless Christmas beetle is as unique to Australia as koalas. The expert said Australia has a "really unique biological event where Christmas is associated with the arrival of these…beetles". She said it was "absolutely critical" to find out why there are so few around. It could be because of habitat loss. In 2020, bushfires wiped out many forests. Scientists are worried that the Christmas beetle may also be dying out.