bugs act as silly as people sometimes

I have a parable for you. I was out walking a few evenings ago and I saw something funny. In the Mojave Desert we have a plethora of large, black beetles, known as eleodes beetles (eleodes deriving from the Greek word for "olive-like" after their shape). Colloquially they're known as stink bugs. When threatened, they employ a curious stratagem. They hoist their rear ends into the air, heads lowered, seeming almost to do a handstand (only their back legs don't leave the ground). If badgered further, they release a foul-smelling musk from glands in their posteriors. I myself have been sprayed after picking up and handling these guys, and while their juices are nowhere near as corrosive as bombardier beetles', nor as noxious as fresh skunk, it's still disgusting and hard to wash off. Their posterior-skyward routine is a warning to interlocutors to back off or be sprayed, and it usually works. I've seen these beetles assume that defensive stance dozens of times without fail. Bring a foot down near them, or poke them on the back, and they'll immediately drop what they're doing and elevate their pointy little heinies. It's not something you'd think any self-respecting beetle would have any trouble with. While I was out walking I came across one of these little guys. Actually, he wasn't very little. Eleodes beetles can get rather large; I routinely see three-inch specimens trundling across the road when I'm perambulating about. This fellow was no exception. He was a huge sucker. He was just crossing the road, minding his own business. On a whim, I brought my foot down deliberately near him to test his reflexes. There was no wind to speak of. The ground sloped slightly, but was largely even. There was even an appreciable amount of loose sand for him to dig his feet into for stability. But for some reason, when this particular old beetle tried to lift his backside to the heavens, he got a little overenthusiastic. He pushed so hard with his back legs that he flipped himself completely over. He did a somersault and landed hard on his back. To his credit, he remained in that compromising position for only a split-second; he immediately smacked both his back legs into the ground and righted himself once more, then correctly assumed the threat position. But his momentary loss of dignity was inescapable. I chuckled to myself, walked on, and thought... ...well, I think you already know what I thought. You're probably thinking the same thing.