Critter of the day

Today's critter of the day is the Eyed Click Beetle.

Ever heard of it?
I hadn't.
I was still unaware of its existence when one smacked into the side of my head as I was picking strawberries.
Apparently, in true armadillo fashion ('dillos jump vertically when threatened), click beetles launch themselves into the air when frightened. This produces their characteristic clicking sound. It is an interesting defense.


I really like the big, fake eye look. It reminds me of some caterpillars.


They can get to be up to two inches long. This particular one wasn't quite that large.


Eyed Click Beetles are quite common throughout the southeast although I had never seen one before today. They have a rather striking appearance, so I think I would remember if I had seen one before.

Have you seen any cool bugs lately?

-Susan

Edited to add:
I figured this would be a good post to link to Macro Monday at Lisa's Chaos .
Have a great week!

Macro Friday

While these aren't macro shots in the usual sense, they are shots from less than four feet. Over the weekend, my family and I got to enjoy the lovely (for January, at least) weather. Land Between the Lakes is a favorite destination for us. We always see something interesting and beautiful. The past weekend was no exception.
While driving along the Trace, we noticed something moving along the side of the road. I knew almost immediately we had happened upon an armadillo. My mother, who has a very interesting view of things, said she at first thought she had seen a World War I helmet foraging. She was, of course, referring to a Pickelhaube but without the spike. I found a place to turn around and came back to have a look. After seeing him, I could certainly understand Mom's description. So, if you can imagine a helmet foraging along the roadside, that is what he looked like. I was thrilled to see and get to photograph this armadillo. I have never seen a live armadillo before. We haven't really ever had them in this area until about five years ago. I reported the first roadkilled 'dillo in Hopkins County last year. The nice woman at the LBL visitor's center said that armadillos had been in the park about four years. The first photo is my entry in Macro Friday.

Check out the hairs between the plates! I knew they were mammals, but I didn't know they would have visible hair!




While this isn't the clearest picture ever, I did think it interesting that if you look closely, you can see a fair amount of fur on his back leg. You can click the photo for a closer look. It's also and "action" shot.

Armadillo doing his impersonation of a Pickelhaube.


While I wouldn't want one digging up my yard, I think Armadillos are amazing! This guy mostly ignored me as I photographed him. Well, him or her. I don't know how one would know a boy 'dillo from a girl 'dillo without turning one over. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have tolerated that. I can also see why some refer to them as "'possum on the half-shell." They are interesting for more reasons than their looks. Armadillos have something called "delayed implantation." Apparently, when it's mating season for Armadillos, they mate and the egg is fertilized, but it doesn't implant or begin to develop until some later time. This is to ensure that the young aren't born in cold weather. The other cool factoid I came across is they almost always have identical quadruplets.

From this angle he looks like a snapping turtle to me. This is the way Armadillos signal that they are through being photographed.

So, do you have armadillos where you live? Do you love them or hate them? Are you worried they'll give you leprosy? Do they really taste like pork?

I hope all of you dealing with the snow and ice stay warm and safe! I can certainly understand what that's like after the ice storm of 2009.
I'm thankful we miss it all this time.

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan