Reply #17: Got four-inch-long (or better) flying beetles?

[Systematic Chaos]

Nevada checking in here. In Las Vegas every year from about late May until September-ish, we get these HORRID ground beetles that burrow their way up out of the soil and the worst part of all is that THEY CAN FLY!! I don't know exactly what they're called or where they came from but some people I know have said that they're probably from Japan, and others have referred to them as Goliath beetles. They are the scariest thing I've ever seen.

I witnessed a dead one getting run over by an old boat of a Cadillac in a parking lot, and most of it was still pretty well held together afterwards. I also saw one on the ground in my old neighborhood that had half its guts hanging out and I'll be damned if a few minutes later when I walked by the same place that f**ker had taken off!

I know they aren't Nevada's official state insect - probably because they'd be bad for tourism if they were - but they get my vote nonetheless.