Devil's Coach-horse
TQ4792 06/05/2019 ©Raymond Small
Ocypus olens
Ferocious nocturnal predator seen from mid-spring to late autumn. It hunts invertebrates and can give a powerful bite. When threatened the abdomen curls up like a scorpion's tail. When handled they release a foul-smelling substance from the abdomen. They can fly but prefer to run, something they do very well. During daytime they often hide under logs, stones and in compost heaps. Females lay eggs in soil and the larvae hatch and spend the winter as pupae, emerging during the following spring as adults.
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