The Tiger Beetle is Incredibly Fast for its Size

While some beetles have evolved to become aquatic, others can tolerate the opposite extreme, arid desert habitats, where the sand can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Here, tiger beetles flit from shadow to shadow. The fastest can reach speeds of up to 5 and 1 Covering 120 times the length of its body in a single second. If a sprinter wanted to match the beetle, they'd have to run at 480 miles per hour. The tiger beetle has sharp eyes to spot the insects on which it preys. But its incredible speed means the beetle often can't see its prey while it's in motion. To get a fix on its victim, it must first come to a stop. The word beetle comes from the old English word bitula, meaning little biter. Looking at this beetle, it becomes clear why they earned this name. When hunting, the tiger beetle is always on the move. Its larva, on the other hand, has a completely different strategy. It lurks in a burrow dug in the sand, hiding from unsuspecting prey, ready to strike at anything that ventures too close. Only if they've eaten recently do they withdraw into their burrows and pose no threat to any passerby. But if they are hungry, they are ready to strike with incredible speed. This ant is lucky. The larva misjudged its strike and unintentionally propelled it into safety. But usually, the larvae succeed in snatching their victims from the surface and dragging them into their lairs, where they kill them with their powerful mandibles and suck them dry.