...but few invertebrates are as rare or ferocious as the well-named Heath Tiger Beetle. Large eyes and scimitar jaws perfectly equip this lightning-fast lowland heath specialist for its life of deadly pursuit among the heather. The larvae are just as formidable, spending two sedentary years hiding in a sandy burrow, waiting to ambush passing invertebrates. Like their mammalian namesakes, the velvety-brown, cream-striped 18mm adults roam widely in search of live food of almost any kind, which they dismember without mercy.

Over half of the Heath Tiger Beetle’s UK populations are thought to have disappeared in the last 25 years, but Surrey Wildlife Trust's heathland restoration work - including reintroductions and the deliberate creation of bare, compacted sandy areas for nesting burrows – has made Surrey a promising stronghold. But we need to build on this, not least by connecting fragmented habitat together. Heath Tiger Beetles aren’t equipped to travel large distances over hostile terrain; they need safe corridors of suitable habitat to establish new populations and maintain their resilience against localised threats.

A tiger in trouble - top 5 facts

• The largest of the UK’s five tiger beetle species, this lightning-fast predator is found on just a handful of sites

• As one of our most ferocious insects, it chases down smaller invertebrate prey and grabs them with its large mandibles 

• Adults and larvae need areas of warm, dry heathland or open coniferous woodland for breeding and feeding

• Its aggressive larvae live in vertical burrows in sandy soil, where they ambush ants, caterpillars and other invertebrates

• Populations have halved in the last 25 years as a result of the fragmentation and degradation of heathland habitat

This week, every donation to our urgent campaign to protect Surrey's beautiful and beloved heathland will be doubled! We’d be very grateful if you could help us reach our target of £50,000, which will be spent to help threatened species including mysterious Nightjars, dragon-like Sand Lizards and this rapacious but at-risk six-legged tiger.

Donate now