Wildlife in Australia

• Birds
  
• Crocodile
  
• Kangaroo
  
• Koala
  
• Spiders
  
• Scorpions
  
• Sharks
  
• Snakes
  

The Christmas Beetle

The Christmas beetle, as you may guess, seems to make its appearance about Christmas time. I would not call it a pest, as they seem to just turn up, fall on their backs, and stay there. They may fly into you, or a window or a wall. They don't seem very clever in that respect.

A quote from www.wettropics.gov.au

Christmas beetles also buzz loudly in flight.
There are many types, a fact which sometimes leads to arguments between people with a fixed idea of their appearance.
As larvae, these beetles feed on grass roots but as adults they can seriously defoliate trees, particularly eucalypts, during summer.
The aptly-named golden scarab, found in the Wet Tropics, is a Christmas beetle