Rhinoceros beetle

Rhinoceros beetles are some of the largest beetles in the world. Rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily, the Dynastinae, within the Family Scarabaeidae (the Scarabs). Adult beetles feed on nectar or sap. The larvae commonly feed on rotting wood.

Rhinoceros beetles get their name from the horns possessed by the adult male beetles. These horns are used when males fight for mates.

Females do not possess these forms and this is therefore an example of sexual dimorphism.

A photograph of the European Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis).
Photograph by Bojars licensed under Creative Commons.

Other names for (or types of) Rhinoceros beetle include:

• Atlas beetle
• Dynastinae
• Elephant beetle
• Hercules beetle
• Rhino beetle

Related terms

• Click beetle
• Coleoptera
• Coleopterist
• Darkling beetle
• Dimorphism
• Goliath beetle
• Saproxylic
• Scarab
• Weevil

Related pages on this web site

• Beetles - Order Coleoptera

See other words beginning with R