Tiger Beetles are a large group of beetles from the Cicindeliane subfamily and is known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed
The fastest known species of tiger beetle, Cicindela Hudsoni can run at a speed of 9 km/h (5.6 mph; 2.5 m/s), or about 125 body lengths per second - as of 2005, about 2,600 species and subspecies were known, with the richest diversity in the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) region, followed by the Neotropic
Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles - all are predatory, both as adults and as larvae
The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing, their reaction times being of the same order as that of common houseflies - some tiger beetles in the tropics are arboreal, but most run on the surface of the ground and they live along sea and lake shores, on sand dunes, around playa lakebeds and on clay banks or woodland paths, being particularly fond of sandy surfaces
Tiger beetles display an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternatively sprint quickly toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient - his may be because while running, the beetle is moving too fast for its visual system to accurately process images and to avoid obstacles while running they hold their antennae rigidly and directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environment
The oldest fossil tiger beetle yet found, Cretotetracha Grandis comes from the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, and dates to the early Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago
The fastest known species of tiger beetle, Cicindela Hudsoni can run at a speed of 9 km/h (5.6 mph; 2.5 m/s), or about 125 body lengths per second - as of 2005, about 2,600 species and subspecies were known, with the richest diversity in the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) region, followed by the Neotropic
Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles - all are predatory, both as adults and as larvae
The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing, their reaction times being of the same order as that of common houseflies - some tiger beetles in the tropics are arboreal, but most run on the surface of the ground and they live along sea and lake shores, on sand dunes, around playa lakebeds and on clay banks or woodland paths, being particularly fond of sandy surfaces
Tiger beetles display an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternatively sprint quickly toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient - his may be because while running, the beetle is moving too fast for its visual system to accurately process images and to avoid obstacles while running they hold their antennae rigidly and directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environment
The oldest fossil tiger beetle yet found, Cretotetracha Grandis comes from the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, China, and dates to the early Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago