Terrifying predatory Ontario beetle has been associated with Satan since Middle Ages

An insect with a terrifying (or very metal, depending on your outlook) name can be found right here in Ontario, and while this critter’s fearsome moniker and menacing threat display may send some running, the devil’s coach horse beetle’s painful bite will surely ward off anyone unbothered by its warnings.

The devil’s coach-horse (Ocypus olens) belongs to the vast family of predatory rove beetles and is also known by a variety of concerning names like the devil’s footman, devil’s coachman, devil’s steed and coffin cutter — words that suggest the insect can pack quite the punch.

While these beetles are widespread across much of Europe and North Africa, they have been introduced into North America, and are now regularly spotted in southern Canada in a range that includes Ontario.

Aside from its various names, what makes this beetle really stand out is its threat display. The devil’s coach-horse beetle has powerful abdominal muscles that allow it to raise its abdomen in a stance not unlike a scorpion poised to strike, and open its pincer-like jaws in a warning to would-be predators.

Despite this scorpion-like stance, O. olens doesn’t possess a stinger, though its jaws can inflict a very painful bite if disturbed.

Adding insult to literal injury, O. olens is capable of emitting foul-smelling secretions from glands on its abdomen as a disgusting last-ditch defence mechanism.

A southern Ontario resident recently took to bug identification subreddit WhatIsThisBug after trapping one of these fearsome-looking arthropods in their bathroom, where commenters remarked on the species’ “badass” name.

Who’s this little friend I found in my bathroom?

byu/sonofer inwhatsthisbug

The species has been associated with the Devil since the medieval period, and is tied to age-old folklore in England and Ireland.

In Ireland, it was “always burned, never trodden on” by Christians who believed that the beetle betrayed their saviour. Similarly, the English believed that the beetle was a manifestation of Satan, that it ate the core of the apple thrown away by Eve in the Garden of Eden and was generally considered to be a sign of evil.

Others believed that killing these insects absolved people of their sins.

Regardless of your belief system, I strongly recommend that you do not try to burn or squish an insect capable of a painful bite and a disgusting smell.