I saw this creature on a walk through the neighborhoods in downtown Oceanside (Nov. 2012). It was extremely freaky looking but I couldn't resist taking a picture. Later, I looked it up. Turns out, it's a pretty harmless insect, called the Jerusalem cricket or Potato bug. Native to the Pacific and southwestern U.S. as well as Mexico, this mostly nocturnal creature is not from Jerusalem, nor a cricket. This guy can make a drumming sound by rubbing its legs against its abdomen, but it's quite distinct from the sound that crickets make. It spends most of its time underground, eating dead, organic matter. He's pretty harmless too, although he can emit a foul odor when disturbed (and a nasty bite).
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