# machine gun butterfly

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machine-gun-butterfly/202837>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 20, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machine-gun-butterfly/202837 "2003-09-20T19:09:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machine-gun-butterfly/202837/1 "2003-09-20T19:09:07Z")

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Okay, last few days I’ve noticed this noisy flying insect. It is too fast to nail down a visual description. The volume of the sound it generates goes way beyond any expection for its size. WAP WAP WAP at about three bursts per second. The fleeting glimpses I get is that it is about the size of a quarter. Anyone able to identify this insect (I assume it is an insect) ?

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**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machine-gun-butterfly/202837/2 "2003-09-20T19:46:46Z")

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Sounds like some sort of beetle using its sheath wings to fly.

Link to some images when you get a gander at the little sucker.