Disturb a devil’s coach-horse as it stalks the stem zone and it’s likely to adopt a scorpion-like threat posture, tail-end raised and mandibles gaping.
If this doesn’t deter you, prepare to be stink-bombed by a trio of excretions – a pungent blend of iridodial (a terpene) and 4-methylhexan-3-one (a ketone) from glands in the abdomen; faecal fluid squirted from the anus; and a noxious vomit.
None are harmful to us, but the jaws, used for crunching up ground beetle exoskeletons, are the final defence. A bite will be painful – and you can’t say you weren’t warned.
- What’s the most venomous scorpion in the world? And just how deadly is it?
- “If you’re stung, you must have sex within 24 hours or you’ll die” – the legend behind the insect that looks like a peanut
- 9 ruthless insect assassins – including one that chops the heads of its victims before removing their limbs
