Ephalus latimanus darkling beetle, Sable Island National Park Reserve

An Ephalus latimanus beetle crawling along sand on Sable Island. This species of beetle is a type of darkling beetle, and in Canada it can only be found on Sable Island.

The sand grains look like little crystals, mostly clear but there are a few red, orange and gray sprinkled throughout.

It turns out that a lot of these rare species on Sable Island are nocturnal, and so researchers must adapt and carry out some of their work in the dark.