What's this bug?

[Squash64]

My friend found this bug near her compost and was curious to find out what it was.  She took a photo of it next to a pound coin then carefully covered it up again with a large glass container until she could get it identified.

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She showed the photo to our local park keeper but he didn't know what it was so she emailed it to various places. 

Her daughter is an Environmental Health Officer so she sent the photo to people she thought might know.

My friend sent the photo to the BBC and other places which I can't remember at the moment but there were lots.

After she'd done all this she thought she'd better check that it was still alive under the glass cover.  She carefully scooped it up onto some paper but as she was putting it on the garden table it dropped off and landed upside down.  Thinking it was dead, she looked closely at the underside.............and saw that it was plastic!

Now she's got these people all over the world emailing her with suggestions about what it might be.  Someone said it might be a 'mutant' from Kenya which had arrived with fruit. 

When she told me about it this morning I nearly wet myself laughing.

[Squash64]

[Sally A]

Looks like Beetlus Plasticus Magnanimus  8) 8)

[grannyjanny]

Well spotted Sally, that's what I thought too ;) ;D ;D ;D.

[pumkinlover]

Love it!! ;D

[lorna]

Sitting here all on my own (well the dog is here) I just laughed out loud!!!

[Duke Ellington]

So funny!!!! ;D

[gwynnethmary]

It's nice to know other people do this sort of thing too!

[Paulines7]

 ;D ;D ;D

[Uncle_Filthster]

Reminds me of when I was a Ranger and set up a display of fake animals after getting sick of being asked "What's in here?  Is it real?" when there were big signs for all of the things in the Visitor Centre.
Each fake creature had a name and description/myth about them and you wouldn't believe the amount of people that were fooled by them.  My favourite was the Peruvian motionless stick insect where I got a bunch of sticks, put them in a tank and placed one vertically that had a smiley face painted on it.   8)

[Alimo]

 ;D ;D lololol

That is so funny..

Alison