There is a [select / selection] group of creatures that is [synonymous / anonymous] with Christmas - donkeys, reindeer, turkeys and robins. The image of a beetle does not [bounce / spring] to mind when thinking of the festive [seasoning / season] . However, there is actually a Christmas [Beatle / beetle] , but this Christmas it has gone missing. Australia's Christmas beetle used to be an indication that [a / the] holiday season was [in / on] its way in the land [down / up] under. Its numbers have declined alarmingly. Dr Tanya Latty, an entomologist from the University of Sydney, said: "Everybody over the age of 35 remembers [there / their] being huge numbers of Christmas beetles when they were kids, but that [just / justly] doesn't seem to happen anymore."
The Christmas beetle is [has / as] unique to Australia as koalas and kangaroos. It is a colourful, [shiny / shined] and harmless bug. Dr Latty told the BBC: "We have in Australia this really unique [biologist / biological] event where Christmas is associated [on / with] the arrival of these beautiful, glittery, friendly beetles." She said it was "absolutely critical" to find out why there are so [little / few] around. Scientists suspect that their dwindling numbers are due to habitat [loss / loses] . In 2020, bushfires wiped [up / out] huge swathes of forest that were home to the beetles. Australia has the worst rate [of / at] mammal extinction in the world. Scientists fear the Christmas beetle may also soon die [up / out] . They asked people to send them [photographers / photos] if they see the beetle.
