Tiger Beetles
Aug 13th, 2008 by Karthik
A small creature took to air from near my feet. It flew a short distance close to the ground and landed further down the trail that I was walking. As I approached it closer, it quickly took off, and landed further down the path. This “catch-me-if-you-can” game happened a few times over.
I was curious to know what this little creature was. I tread very carefully and inched closer. This little insect on long legs was very wary of my presence. It would run in a zigzag manner for a short distance and would stop as if to check if I was following it. All the while it kept moving away and keeping a distance from me. However, after considerable effort, I eventually managed to get close enough to photograph it.
Slowly, I lay on my belly, flat on the ground with my camera ready to get a shot of this insect. Through my lens this little insect did look very smart indeed.I managed to quickly get a few pictures and was very happy at the achievement, more so because this little fellow was so active. I waited until it moved away from me to get up back on my feet. I knew it was a beetle because it had a pair of hardened wings. But the large eyes, powerful mandibles and the long legs were a give away. It was a Tiger Beetle indeed!
There are over 1500 species of tiger beetles in the world. Most tiger beetles are less than and inch long. Many are also very brightly coloured, some have metallic hues.
Tiger beetles are predatory by nature and get their name because they are known to ambush their prey. Though most species are active during the day, some are nocturnal too. I have, on occasion seen some species getting attracted to light in the night. Perhaps, to make a meal of the other insects that also gets attracted to the light.
The pretty tiger beetles are but just one small group of the very large order of beetles. Incidentally, beetles account for nearly a fourth of all species on Earth!
Wow! Great photographs of the tiger beetle. In what type of surroundinds are they usually found?
Thanks Aditya. The tiger beetles occur in a variety of situations. I have seen them in good forests, scrub jungles and also on stream/river banks.
Fantastic photos and a great write-up! It is so good to get to read about creatures that other people would not even notice!
Karthik, Great to know about tiger beetles. Hopefully I can also identify tiger beetles from your tips. The first one you got standing upright is a wonderfull shot! You said that beetles make up 1/4th of all species on earth. What is the estimated total number as of now? thanks.
Beetles, are believed to make up at least quarter of the animal kingdom. Beetles are the largest group of animals, representing a fifth of all known living organisms and a fourth of all animals. It is believed that the number of species of beetles range from approximately 250,000 to 350,000. This number would greatly vary as there are new species that are being described from time to time.
Thanks for the info about the tiger beetles; will keep a lookout for them. You need to be a yoga expert to get such eye-level shots of such creatures I guess!
Karthik–those are some wonderful tiger beetle photos. Your Indian species are quite colorful! I began photographing our U.S. species this past season and have been successful with 19 of our 100+ species so far.
best regards–ted