The better to pinch you with

There was no need to flip a rock to find this angry mother; she was waiting for prey (or my fingers, whichever came first) out in plain sight, on a rock Campbell River beach.

Giant seaside earwig, Anisolabis maritima

The females lay their eggs in cracks or burrows and stand guard over them. The sturdy pincers at the end of the abdomen can deliver a nasty pinch. When I got too close, this one raised them straight up towards me, in a threat gesture. (The males do not stand guard, but run when they notice us. Their pincers  are curved strongly inward, almost forming a circle.)

I kept my fingers well away.

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Three more days until Rock Flipping Day!