snapping beetle
n 1: able to right itself when on its back by flipping into the
air with a clicking sound [syn: {click beetle}, {skipjack},
{snapping beetle}]
Snapping \Snap"ping\,
a. & n. from {Snap}, v.
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{Snapping beetle}. (Zool.) See {Snap beetle}, under {Snap}.
{Snapping turtle}. (Zool.)
(a) A large and voracious aquatic turtle ({Chelydra
serpentina}) common in the fresh waters of the United
States; -- so called from its habit of seizing its prey
by a snap of its jaws. Called also {mud turtle}.
(b) See {Alligator snapper}, under {Alligator}.
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Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
spores, as in some liverworts.
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2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family {Elaterid[ae]}, having
the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden
upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation
between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also {click
beetle}, {spring beetle}, and {snapping beetle}.
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3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by {Podura} and related
insects for leaping. See {Collembola}.
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