RANGE: British Columbia, Washington, Northwest Oregon.
HABITAT: Common in forests, parks, and gardens.
HOME CONSTRUCTION: To attract these flightless beetles, it is advantageous to leave part of a yard in a semi-natural state, perhaps with downed logs or a patch of shrubs. Mosses are a welcome presence, as in woodlands, mosses provide a hiding place for Scaphinotus. They also scurry around under leaf litter and bark pieces.
BUILDING MATERIALS: Downed logs, leaf piles, bark pieces.
BUILDING MOTIVATION: Ground beetles feed on snails, and sometimes slugs - who to many gardener's dismay, feed on the plants of a typical garden.
THREATS: Forest clearing and non-native pests.
INTERESTING FACTS: Scaphinotus' narrow, elongated head has helped the beetle adapt to its diet of snails. The beetle inserts its head inside the aperture of the coiled snail shell and proceeds to eat.