Marnie Chesterton

Tune in later in the show for an answer.

You're listening to Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service, a science show that takes its inspiration from the news.

And this week we've been talking about Africa Day.

And one thing many of us know about Africa is that it's home to some iconic wildlife.

Your rhinos, your leopards, your elephants.

But who is showcasing the smaller, less flashy, but arguably equally important creatures that call this continent home?

Well, our next guest, that's who.

Welcome to the show, Dr. Gimo Daniel.

Thank you very much for having me on your show.

Pleasure, pleasure.

So, Gimo, you are at the National Institute of Coleoptera in Brazil.

That's coleoptera being beetles to the uninitiated.

You study beetles.

How did you get interested in them?

When I was young, I used to play with beetles and insects in general.

I grew up on coastline in central Mozambique.

I remember in that period was a big, like, cholera outbreak in Mozambique.

And my mother told me not to go and touch or collect beetles anymore.

Otherwise, I will get disease.

And guess what?