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Great Diving Beetle (male)

Dytiscus marginalis is a large beetle that lives in ponds where it is a ferocious predator of tadpoles, newtpoles, froglets and little fish, among other things. The larva is transparent, up to three inches long and can bite through a human thumb drawing blood, as I discovered on a previous occasion. The beetles are altogether more manageable, but they often crash land on cars on dewy mornings, mistaking the metal for the surface of a pond. This one can't seem to figure out why swimming is so difficult.

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Uploaded on October 10, 2007
Taken on October 10, 2007