Tiger beetles are fierce and active predators who will hunt by sight, helped by their large eyes, and then run down their quarry on their long legs. At full pelt, a tiger beetle has been clocked at 5 miles per hour. Now that might not sound super speedy, but scaled up, it would be one of the fastest animals on earth!
Not only is this beetle fast, it’s fierce too and armed with impressive secateur-like jaws that can deliver a sharp nip.
You could see them in hot pursuit of their prey – invertebrates such as spiders, caterpillars and ants – but you are most likely to see it as a whirr of dazzling metallic green as it flies out of your way as you walk along the sandy paths in springtime.
Even the larvae of the Green tiger beetle are fearsome. They hatch in burrows made by the adults in sandy soil. The larvae will then wait at the entrance, jaws agape, to ambush passing prey or treat the burrow like a pitfall trap and await unwary insects who stumble in!
Find a green tiger beetle: Look for a metallic green blur speeding along the sandy heathland paths in spring and early summer.
Heathlands Reunited: This is part of a series of blogs introducing some of the fascinating creatures we find on our heathlands. They'll all be featuring on our newly interpreted trail on the heath created as part of the Heathlands Reunited Project. This partnership project, led by the South Downs National Park Authority aims to restore and reconnect the precious heathland habitat across the National Park.