Eastern eyed click beetle
The eastern eyed click beetle is a long black beetle sprinkled with silvery white specks. On its back it has two big fake eyes, black spots ringed in white. They make it look like a much bigger animal is staring at you.
How big is it?
How long is it?
How big is Eastern eyed click beetle compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
The fake eyes on its back help scare away or confuse animals that want to eat it.
Like all click beetles, it can suddenly flip itself into the air with a loud click to escape danger.
Its larvae are big eaters. In one study, a single larva ate more than 200 beetle grubs while it grew up.
Grown-up beetles come out in spring and can be seen until September.
Most asked questions about Eastern eyed click beetle
?Is the eyed click beetle dangerous?
No. It is harmless. The big eyes on its back are fake and only there to scare off predators.
?Why does the click beetle click?
It has a special spine and groove on its body. When it snaps them together, it clicks and jumps into the air.
?How big is the eastern eyed click beetle?
About 2.5 to 4.5 centimetres long.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Alaus oculatus
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Elateridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Elateridae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Eyed elater
Where the facts come from
- Alaus oculatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Henryhartley. CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Stag beetle
Hercules beetle
Common glow-worm
Goliath beetle
Cockchafer
Mealworm beetle
Golden silk orb-weaver
Australian paralysis tick
Roman snail
Peacock tarantula
American dagger moth
Pipevine swallowtail