A Christmas Eve Mystery

[Boyd]

What in the world is this, and where did it come from? Is it a Cicada maybe? It's about 1.25" long. I left my old laptop ripping DVD's in another room and went to check on it around 6:00PM. The the heat was off in the room and the temperature was in the low 60's but the laptop was very warm from encoding video.

This thing was sitting on top of the laptop. I'm home alone and it's not something the cat dragged in because I don't have any pets. I swear it moved a little when I poked it, but it is hard and kind of "leathery". Put it in a plastic container and it doesn't seem to move there.

But how did it get on the computer? I just cleaned that room two days ago and only put the computer in there this afternoon. It definitely was not there at 5:30PM. Weird...

Unless it hopped up there by itself, the only thing I can think of is that it was inside a DVD case I opened and fell out. Pretty sure I would have noticed that though...

 

[Gibby]

Boyd, that is an Eye Click Beetle. They spend most of their time in rotting wood. More than likely it tagged along with some of your firewood. Was it dead already? They will "snap" their bodies if you handle them. The warm weather probably brought it out.

 

[46er]

What in the world is this, and where did it come from?

Could it be a Windows 8 bug looking for a new home?

 

[Boyd]

Thanks Gibby. Wood is my primary heat and I have a couple rings of firewood in the house. There are all kinds of strange bugs inside the wood - I cut and split it all myself. So I'm sure you're right. I think it did "snap" when I poked it gently, that's how it ended up on the floor.

No Windows 8 bugs are gonna find a home here.

 

[Boyd]

Was it dead already?.

It sure looked like it was dead - very hard and motionless. I let it sit in a plastic container and it did not move for days so I forgot about it. Looked yesterday and saw it had moved to the other side of the container. Looking closer, the middle section had sort of "separated". Today the legs were extended and it was moving around. Strange creature. It's now outside to fend for itself.

 

[manumuskin]

well it's a beetle,thats as far as I get.Post your pic on Bugguide.net and they will identify it for you.you have to register for free first but they do a great job and they do it quick.Many pics if you want to self ID.

 

[Gibby]

It sure looked like it was dead

Boyd, do you know how many times I have picked up something I thought was dead only to have it bounce back to life when I least expect it? (More times than I can remember.) I just don't like the fact that sometimes I can't find the critter that was playing opossum and it is roaming the house!!

 

[oji]

Boyd, do you know how many times I have picked up something I thought was dead only to have it bounce back to life when I least expect it? (More times than I can remember.) I just don't like the fact that sometimes I can't find the critter that was playing opossum and it is roaming the house!!

Once I brought home a frozen Bigfoot and the heat brought it back to life. It grabbed a bag of jerky I had and ran off toward "Whitesbog State Forest".

 

[Teegate]

I chased that jerk....y in my car there

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Eastern eyed click beetle, Alaus oculatus
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Eastern-Eyed-Click-Beetle

 

[Sue Gremlin]

D'oh! Sorry. I posted this before I saw Gibby's reply.