Wildlife
Ground beetles (carabids) are a large and successful family of beetles, with over 40,000 described species including the tiger and bombardier beetles. They are usually black or metallic coloured with ridged wing cases. Found worldwide, they inhabit ground vegetation, rocks, crevices and the underside of logs and tree bark. The defensive secretions of some of the beetles in this family are so toxic they can injure small animals.
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Predator or prey?
Even the predatory tiger beetle has enemies.
Even the predatory tiger beetle has enemies.
Beetle drive
Bill Oddie goes hunting for ground beetles on Dartmoor.
Bill Oddie goes hunting for ground beetles on Dartmoor.
Bootleg beetles
A baby lizard mimics a beetle in a unique defence strategy.
A baby lizard mimics a beetle in a unique defence strategy.
Ant acid
Ants provide oogpister beetles with more than just nourishment.
South Africa's black and white oogpister beetle may not just eat ants for their nourishment. It may also eat them for the formic acid they contain and which the beetle sprays in the face of any animal that comes too close for comfort. No wonder then that a tasty lizard has evolved to look just like the beetle, scaring off the predators.
The Ground beetles can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Amazon Rainforest, Asia, Australia, China, Europe, Mediterranean, North America, Russia, South America, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.
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