Barking up the suitable tree for the eyed elater, Alaus oculatus — Bug of the Week

That explains the enterprise in regards to the “eyed”, however what in regards to the “click on”? To grasp the clicking, you have to be fortunate sufficient to search out and seize a click on beetle. When grasped by a geeky entomologist, the eyed click on beetle produces an unnerving snap of its physique. When positioned on its again on the bottom, this snap propels the beetle into the air. The acceleration of this flip can exceed 2,000 meters per second squared and shoot the beetle a number of inches into the air. How do they do that? Click on beetles have a exceptional peg latch on the under-surface of their physique between the entrance and center legs. The beetle flexes its physique creating pressure that, when launched, causes the entrance finish of the beetle to snap backward, propelling the insect into the air with an audible click on. The beetle typically lands proper facet up, but when it does not, the click-and-flip course of could also be repeated till the beetle lastly rights itself. Though the total cause for the beetle flipping-out will not be totally identified, we are able to speculate that this forceful snapping and flipping would possibly assist the beetle escape the grasp of a tormenting predator or nosy entomologist.