• Newsfeed

Students Release 72,000 Ladybugs in School for Senior Prank

1 minute read

Some pests set 72,000 ladybugs loose throughout a Maryland high school as part of a senior prank, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Five suspects wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts broke into Chopticon High School in Morganza, Md., at 3:40 a.m. Wednesday and released ladybugs purchased online in the hallways, while two waited in a car, authorities say.

Four suspects have been charged with burglary, property destruction and disruption of school activities, while the other three have been charged by criminal summons.

See The Best Biology Photos Of The Year

Two Bisons on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.
Two Bisons on the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.Lukas Gawenda
A spider at sunset in Predel, Bulgaria.
A spider at sunset in Predel, Bulgaria.Krasimir Matarov
Parental care in parasitoid wasps
Parasitoid wasps building clay pots in Borneo, Brunei.Thomas Endlein
Siblings watering newly planted seedlings in Rizal, The Philippines.
Siblings watering newly planted seedlings in Rizal, The Philippines.Ysabel M Victoriano
A leopard in its natural habitat in Karantaka, India.
A leopard in its natural habitat in Karantaka, India.Nagarjun Ram
A farmer protects his family and animals from mosquitos in Gujarat, India.
A farmer protects his family and animals from mosquitos in Gujarat, India.Dimple Pancholi
A tarsier in its natural habitat in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
A tarsier in its natural habitat in Sulawesi, Indonesia.Wolfgang Weinhardt
A plant takes advantage of the available shelter in a dilapidated house in Kolmanskop, Namibia.
A plant takes advantage of the available shelter in a dilapidated house in Kolmanskop, Namibia.Kelsey Green
A female blackbird holding a dried mealworm in her mouth in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.
A female blackbird holding a dried mealworm in her mouth in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.Billy Clapham
A chick embryo in a hardened eggshell is sustained until full development in Rizal, The Philippines.Robert Cabagnot
An adult female Italian crested newt stationed below the fresh water surface in Piedmont, Italy.
An adult female Italian crested newt stationed below the fresh water surface in Piedmont, Italy.Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola
A sea turtle eating a jellyfish in The Maldives.
A sea turtle eating a jellyfish in The Maldives.Boris Barath

More Must-Reads From TIME

Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com