Magnificient Metallic Monster - _TNY_7400
The green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) is a predator and hunt using speed. They are *very* fast runners (an Australian tiger beetle is the fastest running arthropod of all) and I can only imagine what it would be like to be another, smaller bug when you see these large jaws approaching at a rapid pace.
I believe this one is a male which means he has even larger mandibles then the female. He uses them to grab around the body of the female when mating - like in this shot from the same day: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52066752999/
Magnificient Metallic Monster - _TNY_7400
The green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) is a predator and hunt using speed. They are *very* fast runners (an Australian tiger beetle is the fastest running arthropod of all) and I can only imagine what it would be like to be another, smaller bug when you see these large jaws approaching at a rapid pace.
I believe this one is a male which means he has even larger mandibles then the female. He uses them to grab around the body of the female when mating - like in this shot from the same day: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52066752999/