This is a seriously big beetle! I'd guess its body measured at least an inch (25mm) long, with enormous antennae.
Surely beasts like this should belong somewhere in the tropics? It's actually a Musk Beetle, a kind of longhorn beetle, which is supposed to smell nice, hence its scientific name of Aromia moschata, and I found it at Woodwalton Fen NNR this evening.
The only reason I recognised it was because we accidentally caught one while ringing at Ferry Meadows a couple of years ago. I spotted the one above as it clambered around a bramble bush, apparently nectaring on the blossom.
photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995
oh, thats so darling
ReplyDeleteOooo! He's cool!
ReplyDelete