Tiger Beetle Murders Ant!

 

Nature is horrific! It’s true. There are stingers and fangs behind every leaf. Take for instance this lovely six-spotted tiger beetle. Most people think tigers live in the jungle. These people would be mistaken…because there could be a tiger in your backyard…right now. And instead of big scary claws…it has tiny mandibles! Ouch.

 

Most people don’t have to worry about accidentally discovering someone being murdered. Imagine this scenario: you’re tired. Hungry. Bored. All you want to do is sleep. Why? Because you spent the last 18 hours driving down a desert road, and you’re tired of looking at dust—that’s why. You shove the key into your motel room door, open it up, and…yup. Someone is being murdered. All over the bed. Disgusting.

 

Lookin’ for somethin’ to kill

 

That would be quite shocking, wouldn’t it? But come on! That shit is reserved for fiction and movies…right?

 

Wrong!

 

Well…kind of.

 

Illustration by Rose Perez

 

Nature provides every opportunity for horror to impale its…ummm…whatever…in whatever it feels like. Teeth, stingers, claws, mandibles, spikes—anything is fair game. Even acid. The six-spotted tiger beetle are well equipped to inflict death upon anything it can stuff in its mouth.

 

 Too Fast For Comfort

 

The six-spotted tiger beetle is one of the quickest animals on planet Earth. It’s been said that the tiger beetle runs so damn fast that they CANNOT EVEN SEE THEIR PREY! Tiger Beetle’s lock on to a moving target, and then burn a trail of fire toward the prey’s general location. With their mouth mandibles open, of course. And if the tiger beetle somehow misses its target, well, the beetle will visually lock-on and try again! Better luck next time (If there is a next time).

 

You have to be careful when skipping through tiger beetle territory. Why? Because they can fly! Duh.

 

 

Up, Up, And Away

 

Most beetles can fly. That’s what makes a beetle special. In fact—the beetle’s entomology identification is coleoptera—which translates to “sheathed wing”. The wings of a beetle are tucked into a protective sheath when it’s not in flight, and it’s also very useful for evacuating people’s bowels. Who would expect a beetle to be capable of flight? Imagine a tank sprouting wings, and then ungracefully fluttering in the air. That’s some scary shit. And the tiger beetle can do that. Watch out.

 

Whoever Smelt It Dealt It

 

Not only are tiger beetles well equipped for inflicting death…they also smell like it. If you get too close to this green metallic green reaper, then you better plug your nose! Because noxious fumes are known to secrete from a special gland. Any predator with common sense wouldn’t want to chow down on something that reeks.

 

Sometimes horror and nature is kind of like a mutated conjoined twin—it’s difficult to tell one from the other. You may never accidentally discover someone being murdered, but just outside your front door something is being killed.

 

And it’s most likely an ant.

 

 

Photographs & Article By FlyTrapMan