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Alaus oculatus, Negri Neponte Leni Preserve, Somerset County, New Jersey, 2007-06-17

You can’t always ID beetles down to the species level with the naked eye, but this one’s very distinctive, and we had them around my house in Louisiana when I was growing up.

The big “eyes” aren’t really eyes, just spots on its hinds parts. Likely they either make predators think this beetle’s bigger than it is, or get them to attack the wrong end.