Pinacate Beetle
Eleodes spp.
Pinacate Beetles are also known
as "stinkbugs" because of their defensive strategy. When disturbed,
they stick their rear end into the air as a warning and may squirt a foul-tasting,
foul-smelling substance. The spray is not painful unless you get it in your eyes
or mouth. It does not wash off. This is enough to deter most predators, but the
Grasshopper Mouse grabs the beetle, jams its
rear into the dirt, and eats it head first.
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Updated
May 8, 2005