Devil's coach horse beetle
Scientific Name: Ocypus olens
Order & Family: Order: Coleoptera; Family: Staphylinidae
Size: 20–30 mm (approx. 0.8–1.2 inches)
Natural Habitat
Damp environments such as gardens, woodlands, and under stones or leaf litter
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous predator; feeds on invertebrates like slugs, snails, worms, and woodlice
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal hunter; when threatened, it raises its abdomen like a scorpion and can emit a foul-smelling substance from its tail glands
Risks & Benefits
Benefits the ecosystem by controlling garden pests; lacks venom but can deliver a painful bite if handled
Identified on: 5/18/2026