A late night cock-tail in the living room

Caught this devil's coach horse beetle galloping across our living room carpet late last night. 

As befits a carnivore it has a formidable set of jaws.

Devil's coach horses are the largest of the staphylinid beetles in Britain, which as a group have wings that are intricately folded under very small wing cases (elytra). But their most distinctive feature is only revealed when you do something to threaten them .....

......... when they raise their abdominal segments in a threat display that's reminiscent of a scorpion.In older books they were often referred to as 'cock-tails'. Totally harmless, though.