“The Hercules Beetle is the world’s longest beetle!”

The Hercules beetle is one of the world’s largest insects, and it is not just large. The males have long horns that grow from their heads and the middle of their bodies. They come together to resemble pincers or a claw. The larva, which is curved, white, or yellow with a black head, may even be bigger than the adult, but they lose some weight during the ordeal of pupation. The Hercules beetle also flies, though clumsily. It’s one of the biggest flying insects as well.

5 Incredible Hercules Beetle Facts!

Here are some more facts about this amazing insect:

• The Hercules beetle spends most of its life as a larva. It can take a larva, or grub two years to turn into an adult, while a captive adult only has a lifespan of three to six months. However, some people claim that a well-cared-for Hercules beetle can have a lifespan of as much as a year.
• Only the males have the trademark horns. They use them to fight other males during the breeding season.
• The larva of a Hercules beetle can grow 4.5 inches long and weigh over 3.5 ounces. They are good sources of protein and often eaten. People season them, wrap them in banana leaves then roast them over a fire.
• The beetle is a type of dynastine scarab, which means it is big, has a robust body, clubbed antennae and horns. The colors of their carapaces can have a metallic glint to them. Relatives of the Hercules beetle include the eastern Hercules beetle, which is not a subspecies but an entirely different species found in the eastern United States. The eastern Hercules beetle, Dynastes tityus is smaller than Dynastes hercules, and its horns are not as spectacular.
• The color of the hard front wings of the beetle, or the elytra change color with the humidity. If it’s dry, the elytra are yellow or green, but when humidity is high they turn black.

Hercules Beetle Species, Types, and Scientific Name

The Hercules beetle is a type of scarab beetle, and its scientific name is Dynastes hercules. Dynastes is Greek for “master, lord or ruler,” and hercules comes from the Greek demigod of the same name who was known for his immense strength. There are at least 10 subspecies, though biologists don’t agree on all of them. They are:

• Dynastes hercules hercules
• D. hercules ecuatorianus
• D. hercules lichyi
• D. hercules morishimai
• D. hercules occidentalis
• D. hercules paschoali
• D. hercules reidi
• D. hercules septentrionalis
• D. hercules takakuwai
• D. hercules trinidadensis

Because of its horns, the Hercules beetle is also classified as a type of rhinoceros beetle.

Appearance: How To Identify the Hercules Beetle

The appearance of the male beetle is unmistakable, with its claw-like horns that may be as long as its body. The horn that comes from the animal’s body is longer ta the one that comes from its head and both have teeth. The hornless female looks like a regular scarab beetle, with a heavy body. Her elytra are mostly brown or black and the rest of her body is black. Sometimes the elytra have a metallic sheen that is a distinguishing trait of scarab beetles.

Hercules beetles mate in the rainy season of their native country, which is in midsummer to early winter. Males famously fight to mate with females using their horns and can not only damage each other but damage the female they are fighting over. In the wild, the winner probably simply pushes the loser off of a tree limb.

The female is gravid for about a month before she lays as many as 100 eggs. She’ll deposit them either on the ground or in rotting wood. It takes around 27 days for the eggs to hatch. When they do, the larvae eat rotting wood and molt three times until they are of tremendous size. Then, they pupate and stay in that stage for around 32 days before the adult ecloses.

Though this dynastine scarab is native to Central America, South America, and islands in the Caribbean such as Trinidad and Tobago it is sold around the world as a pet, often for very high prices. It is especially popular for terraria in Japan and is considered a good luck charm.

The Hercules beetle can fly, though not very efficiently. It is sometimes seen flying around street lights, as it is nocturnal. The beetle makes a huffing sound if it’s picked up or bothered and also emits a bad-smelling odor.

Habitat: Where to Find the Hercules Beetle

These beetles are naturally found in rain forests, whether they are in the mountains or in the lowlands. The huge grubs of these rhinoceros-type beetles live in the rotting wood that they eat, while the adults hide under leaf litter and inside logs.

Diet: What Do Hercules Beetles Eat?

Like other rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetles eat fruit, especially fruit that has fallen from the tree and rotted a bit, which makes it easier for the insect’s chewing mouthparts to handle. Where they live, the fruits are often mangos and other tropical fruit. They’ll also eat rotting wood like their larvae and other rotting plant material. In captivity, Hercules beetles are often fed fresh fruit such as grapes as well as high protein beetle jelly.

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