The diabolical ironclad beetle can survive getting run over by a car. Scientists now know how. - USA TODAY

The diabolical ironclad beetle, a desert bug native to California, can withstand nearly 40,000 times its body weight?

The diabolical ironclad beetle, a desert bug native to California, can withstand nearly 40,000 times its body weight.

"The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it's not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank," David Kisailus, the principal investigator and a materials science and engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine, said in a statement.

But in the ironclad beetle, researchers say the elytra has evolved to become "a solid, protective shield.".

A team of researchers, headed by Jesus Rivera, a graduate student at UCI working under Kisailus, performed a series of tests to determine what factors contribute to the beetle's ability to survive getting crushed.

The diabolical ironclad beetle's exoskeleton allows it to withstand pressure nearly 40,000 times its weight. (Photo: David Kisailus, University of California, Irvine).

Further, the core parts of the elytra, researchers said, interlock like a jigsaw puzzle