PHOTOS: Meet New York’s Epic Carnivorous Beetle

I almost stepped on the crawling insect as I walked down the driveway at my house in Newburgh, NY. Not that it would have done anything to the bug; I was looking at the biggest beetle I had ever seen in my life... and it was on the hunt.

I grew up in the Hudson Valley, so I'm no stranger to wildlife. From foxes and bears to snakes and spiders, I thought I'd seen it all. Never in my life, however, had I seen a beetle as large as this one. It was time to investigate.

Black Caterpillar Hunter Beetle in New York

The massive specimen I was staring at (I swear it looked bigger in real life) had a name almost as ominous as it looked: black caterpillar hunter beetle. These carnivores spend most of their time addressing their "voracious" appetite for crawling things, and stay on the prowl for not only caterpillars, but almost any edible larvae it comes across. Unfortunately, there may have been something wrong with the specimen I found.

Carnivorous Beetles in New York

Caterpillar hunters are known to stalk their prey at night, but the giant beetle I came across was wandering down my walking path in the middle of the day. Closer inspection also revealed that their may be an injury to one of its wings (below). One possibility is that it was attacked by a predator, and one of the reasons it was still crawling around could be due to the amazing way they defends themselves.

Black Caterpillar Beetle Defense Mechanism

When attacked, black caterpillar hunters are known to use bad smells to scare off larger animals that want to turn them into breakfast. A "malodorous chemical" (science-talk for something stinky) is released when the beetle feels threatened, possibly convincing predators that they wouldn't make for a tasty snack after all.

Get our free mobile app

While many New Yorkers may want to keep this giant hunter off of their property, keep in mind that they can be helpful for gardeners or anyone else who is looking to keep leaf-eating pests (like caterpillars) at bay. Plus, if you try to harm one, you may end up with a nose-full of stink. Check out more creepy crawlers below.