Usually amphibians are the ones who kill and eat bugs. But this time the bugs are eating the amphibians. These bugs are called Epomis beetles. When this beetle gets an opportunity, it kills and eats amphibians. This beetle doesn't care if the amphibian is many times its size. The beetle still eats it no matter what its size. The diet of this beetle consists of invertebrates, such as worms. When this type of beetle was enclosed with an amphibian, it attacked and consumed it. Amphibians usually feast on insects and most of these insects are beetles. Beetles attacking amphibians brings new insight to the relationship between these two creatures. These beetles eat all types of amphibians including frogs, newts, toads, and salamanders. First, the beetles bites the amphibian in the back. The amphibians then tries to swing the beetle off it's back. The incision made by the beetle into the amphibians back soon paralyzes it. Lastly, the beetle devours the amphibian. Fully devouring the amphibian usually takes the beetle several hours.
I found this article very interesting. It surprised me that these beetles are so small, but still very strong. I never knew that a beetle could be able to eat a whole amphibian. If an Epimos beetle was put in a container with a frog I would guess the frog would eat the beetle. But really the Epimos beetle would be the predator and the frog the prey. It also interested me because of how fast this beetle can kill an amphibian. This shows that no matter how small you are, you can be stronger than someone bigger than you.
This is an interesting video of the Epimos beetle eating a frog:
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment