Manticore Beetle: The battle monster of the insect world. Huge speed, size and armor allow him to shred even scorpions (8 photos)

The purpose of the first paragraph of the article is to attract the attention of the reader. some striking fact about the described animal. Today I will go in another way and first I will tell you about the shortcomings of the manticore beetle: it does not can fly. All. In other aspects, the beetle is frighteningly good.





The family to which our hero belongs, in English sources called "tiger beetles". They didn't get their nickname for color or soft fur, but because these are one of the most dangerous predators of the microcosm. And the manticore beetle is the largest representative of these arthropod cutthroats. That's 6.5 centimeters of concentrated power hidden under heavy chitinous armor.



Notice the huge jaws. Some insects for example, the stag beetle, have similar, but use them exclusively for demonstrations and bloodless ritual battles. And our hero cuts them exoskeletons of arthropods, like scissors - paper. In folklore some African tribes Death comes to people precisely in the form manticore beetle. I see his mandible, I understand where this legend came from.



The insects of Africa were not lucky to coexist with this monster. On the black continent, the manticore beetle makes a real mokruha. Under it blades hit not only grasshoppers, beetles and other harmless insects. He even attacks really dangerous creatures like scorpions or wolf spiders. They try to resist the manticore, but where there! A couple of seconds - and the victim turns into a salad. Monster Bite Power is such that it cuts the enemy in half!



If an invertebrate cannot fly, then the chances of escaping are he is not enough. Trying to run away from the monster will only result in the loot will die tired. Representatives of the tiger beetle family are the fastest and maneuverable beetles of the planet. Manticore, despite its decent size, able to change direction faster than it can react human eye!



One thing pleases African insects - during the day these terminators are sleeping. But there is a nuance: while adults are resting, their larvae come out to hunting. Junior Manticores are ambush predators. They don't chase prey. they can, but this does not make the crumbs less dangerous. The only thing the weak point of the caterpillars is the soft body. Only here is the body enterprising the larva hides deep in the sand. The head and pronotum stick out, the chitinous shell of which merged into a single shield.



Few people manage to eat manticores. front guard invulnerable to jaws and chewed small predators. Pulling out of the hole is also not option: spikes grow on the fifth segment of the abdomen, securely fixing caterpillar in the sand. So the animals just try to get around vicious sausage by the side.



Here on these humps grow thorns-hooks.

And they do it right. Small but strong jaws are ideal adapted to capture passers-by by the paws. If the victim is not able to break free or gnaw off a limb, then a predatory caterpillar forever drag the poor fellow to his hole.



My rating for the manticore beetle is 10 out of 10 combat scissors. good thing he can't grow to the size of an average dog! Otherwise people would go out into the street only with a firearm.