Food and habits: A flightless, fast-running nocturnal predator, feeding on slugs and many other ground-living invertebrates. Hides under logs and stones during the day, and also damp sheds and other out-buildings. The larva is also predatory, although less agile than the adult beetle. Habitat and range: Woods, hedgerows, gardens and waste ground, wherever there is food, shelter and moisture. Common throughout the UK.