The Tiger Beetle May Be The Serial Killer of the Insect World

Tiger beetles can be found in locations all around the world, except for Hawaii, Maldives, Tasmania, and of course Antarctica. According to David Peterson, a research professor from Arizona State University’s College of Life Sciences, there are over two hundred different species of tiger beetle in North America alone.

Tiger Beetles are known for the brutal methods they employ once they capture prey. The tiger beetle has long mandibles that resemble swords, which the tiger beetle then uses to both crush and tear the insect apart simultaneously–that is a rough way to kick the bucket!

However, the tiger beetle is not, at this point, finished with his macabre performance. For a grand finale, the tiger beetle will spit a type of saliva at its prey that is corrosive enough to render the tiger beetle’s prey fully digested even before the tiger beetle consumes the soupy product. At least the tiger beetles die a quick death after a rather long one, right?

If you happen to be an insect reading this, then don’t think you can just walk the other way when you find a tiger beetle because they can travel at speeds that, if the beetles were as large as horses, would be two hundred miles per hour. This makes tiger beetles one of the fastest insects in the insect community.

Have you ever come across a tiger beetle? Did you witness it preying on other insects?