# Anteater Scarabs (*cremastocheilus*)

Anteater Scarabs are tiny beetles that love to munch on ants! They have a shiny body that sparkles in the sunlight, making them look like jewels in the grass.

- **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** They live in grassy fields and forests where ants are abundant.
- **Also known as:** Ant Beetles, Ant Munchers

![Anteater Scarabs](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/7866135/medium.jpeg)

Photo: Rebecca Ray, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/7866135)

## Appearance

The Anteater Scarabs has a distinctive flattened, robust body, often reddish-brown to dark brown, blending perfectly with soil and ant nest interiors. Its tough, leathery exoskeleton covers most of its body, and it lacks prominent antennae or colorful markings, appearing quite nondescript.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Coleoptera
- **Family:** Scarabaeidae
- **Genus:** Cremastocheilus

## Interesting facts

- Despite living with ants, they are often unwelcome guests, sneaking food when ants aren't looking!
- Some Anteater Scarabs can make sounds by rubbing parts of their body together, like a tiny warning signal!
- These clever beetles even help clean the ant nest by eating dead ants, acting like tiny janitors!
- They are known as 'ant nest beetles' because they spend almost their entire lives living inside ant colonies!

## Special abilities

- **Chemical Disguise:** Anteater Scarabs can produce special chemicals that make ants think they are fellow colony members, helping them move freely inside the nest without being attacked.
- **Ironclad Shield:** Anteater Scarabs has an extremely hard and flattened body that helps them withstand bites and attacks from angry ants trying to defend their home.
- **Sticky Snacker:** Anteater Scarabs has unique, sticky antennae that they use to 'beg' ants for regurgitated food or even pick up small ant eggs and larvae.

## Measurements & details

- **Wingspan:** 10-30 mm
- **Size:** 5-15 mm
- **Lifespan:** 30-90 days
- **Flight Speed:** 5-10 km/h
- **Leg Count:** 6

## Diet & Feeding

They secretly eat ant larvae, pupae, and regurgitated food right inside the ant nest!

- **Primary Foods:** ant larvae, ant pupae, ant eggs, ant regurgitations
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Parasitizes:** Shining Guest Ant (*Formica pallidefulva*) — Lives within their nests and consumes their young.
- **Parasitizes:** [Pavement Ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pavement-ant) (*Lasius americanus*) — Feeds on their brood and stolen resources in the colony.
- **Parasitizes:** Two-toothed Seed-Harvester Ant (*Pheidole bicarinata*) — Infiltrates their nests to consume larvae and stored food.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Anteater Scarabs?

Look for hard wing covers meeting in a line down the back, then compare the antennae, body shape, legs and markings. Metallic colors shift a lot with lighting. Beetle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### What is Anteater Scarabs's wingspan?

10-30 mm

### How big is Anteater Scarabs?

5-15 mm

### How long does Anteater Scarabs live?

30-90 days

### How fast can Anteater Scarabs fly?

5-10 km/h

### What does Anteater Scarabs eat?

They secretly eat ant larvae, pupae, and regurgitated food right inside the ant nest!

### Where is Anteater Scarabs usually found?

They live in grassy fields and forests where ants are abundant.

### How does Anteater Scarabs hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [Bear Lake State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bear-lake-state-park) — Utah, US · State Park

## More Insects

- [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*)
- [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*)
- [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*)
- [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*)

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Source: [Anteater Scarabs: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/anteater-scarabs)