Beetles of Africa
Welcome to Beetles of Africa. My name is Colin R. Owen and I grew up on different mission stations in the old Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). On all these mission stations there was nothing else to do but to go around and study nature. My late father did not allow me as a little boy to catch spiders and snakes, though sometimes I did. One of the earliest beetle catching experiences I had, was when I was about seven. I had found a tree about three metres high that had beautiful green Buprestids feeding on the leaves. I learned that if I ran up to the tree quickly and shook the tree hard, these beautiful beetles would fall to the ground and I would catch as many as I could carry in my little hands.
Read more ...How to find Beetles on this site
There are two ways to look at the collection. If you know the name or the region of the Beetle you can use our Search the Beetles page. If you want to browse pictures by families, you can use the Family Catalog page to make your selection.
New changes published on 16th Apr 2026
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTSWe’re excited to announce that the new Beetles of Africa website is nearly ready! The platform has been fully redesigned with mobile users in mind, making it easier than ever to explore and contribute on the go. We look forward to bringing the entomology community together — sharing beetle records collected over the years and building a lasting digital archive for future generations. Best regards, Emil Owen
This is Colin Owen’s son, Emil. I am currently working on updating the website and planning to upload many more beetle images soon. I’ll post another update here once the new content is live. Stay tuned!