What the heck is in my yard making holes the size of a 20c piece?

Thanks for all the input…

Rats/mice wouldn’t surprise me (we have chickens – who make surprisingly good mousers themselves)

The holes are too large for wolf spiders (we have a couple of those and know their regular haunts)

We also have a few mole crickets. We’ve seen them getting around at night, and wondered what these truly fugly bugs were. So thanks for the education, sesmiaggi.

Nobody came up with anything that terrifies me, so thanks for putting my mind to rest.

maniac said :

I’ve seen Dune – might be an immature sandworm.

Walk without rhythm, and it won’t attract the worm.
(But if you walk without rhythm, you’ll never learn…)

Ze Germans.

Best written and most intruiging subject heading so far in all of ’11… (IMHO)

One possibility is a large beetle from the scarab family. I found a kind of Rhinoceros beetle in my son’s sandpit recently, in a tunnel about the size mentioned. A ways down, had to dig for it…

They are not uncommon especially if you use mulch.

These particular beetles (Xylotrupes species) ‘squeak’ quite loudly when they feel threatened, which might explain your dog’s interest Mia80. All bluff, they are totally harmless (the sound is actually their wing covers being rubbed on their abdomen).

Have a close look at the hole/tunnel. If there are no signs of threads, it is unlikely to be a spider.

It’s Hobbits’es

If you hear the sound of crickets in the early evening, more than likely you have Mole Crickets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket

EvanJames said :

I noticed such a hole in my veggie garden last night, massive, with the crater sides. Is it a cicada or a giant spider?

It used to be a giant spider, but then a seriously tough cicada opened a can of whoop-ass, and took the spider’s home. If I were you I’d evacuate the premises.

I’ve seen Dune – might be an immature sandworm.

I noticed such a hole in my veggie garden last night, massive, with the crater sides. Is it a cicada or a giant spider?