On sunny days in late February and throughout March and April , the bloody-nosed beetle can be seen in Brittany. They are a leaf-eating species which are particularly fond of goosegrass, where they lay their eggs, and it is near goosegrass that one is most likely to find them. They walk in a distinctively ungainly manner, and in summer, when one often sees them on open expanses of grass, such as a lawn, it is fascinating to watch them slowly climbing the blades of grass and falling off the other end in such a clumsy manner it is hard to imagine them making any progress. Walking is their only means of getting around, for they are flightless beetles despite a deceptive groove down their backs. With most insects this would be their wingcase, but with the bloody-nosed beetle it is just a groove.

Another distinctive feature of this beetle is its peculiar defence method. If you have ever handled one you may have noticed that it started bleeding from its head or leg although you were not aware of harming it. If you were worried that the beetle was damaged you will be glad to hear that this was not the case. When under threat it drops blood from its mouth as a means of deterring predators, which is what has given it the name, bloody-nosed beetle, in English, and crache-sang (spit blood) in French.