About

The Devil's coach horse is a common beetle of gardens, and can often be found under stones and in compost heaps. It is also common along hedgerows and in grassland. Devil's coach horses are voracious predators, emerging after dark to prey on other invertebrates, and using their pincer-like jaws to crush them. They are fast-moving, preferring to run along the ground rather than fly. They are well-known for curling up their abdomens like the tail of a scorpion when threatened, and emitting a foul-smelling substance from their abdomens. Beware - they can also deliver a painful bite to us! Females lay their eggs in soil; the predatory larvae hatch and spend the winter as pupae, emerging the following spring as adults.