The Hercules Beetle, is one of the toughest creatures on the planet, relatively, when it comes to brute strength. Scientifically known as Dynastes hercules, this beetle, belonging to the rhinoceros beetle tribe (Dynastini) within the Dynastinae subfamily. There are over 1,500 known species, across 225 genera within this subfamily, and the hercules beetle is one of eight species that exist within the Dynastes genus.
This beetle has a range that spans the rainforests of Central and South America, and the Lesser Antilles. With its great size, strength, and unique appearance, it’s an insect that continues to fascinate Entomologists. The Hercules Beetle boasts 10 different subspecies across their range, each with its own defining characteristics.
Appearance & Characteristics of The Hercules Beetle
Adult Hercules Beetles are behemoths in the beetle world. Their body lengths can range from 5 to 8.5 cm (2-3.3 inches), but what’s truly impressive is that male Hercules Beetles, when their horn is included, can stretch up to a whopping 17.3 cm (7 inches), making them the largest known beetles in the world. Females are smaller, and there is variation in size, particularly of the horn, across the different subspecies.
The sexual dimorphism is evident, with males being the larger of the two. Males also have two horns—one on their head and a larger, more prominent one on their prothorax. These horns are not just for show; they play a crucial role in their mating rituals. Their body primarily sports a black hue, but their elytra (wing coverings) can shimmer in shades from olive-green to yellow, a feature that intriguingly changes based on humidity levels. You can tell subspecies apart often by the colour of the elytra.
Hercules beetles are named after the legendary hero Hercules, known for his unparalleled strength in Greek mythology. These beetles have a reputation to uphold, and they don’t dissapoint. While some say they can carry up to 850 times their body weight, more realistic estimates based on observations of a similar beetle hover around 100 times. Still, this feat is nothing short of Herculean for any insect or animals, regardless of size.
The Hercules Beetle Subspecies
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Location | Size | Features |
| Eastern Hercules | Dynastes hercules hercules | Central and South America | 50-170mm | Longest horn, black body with greenish elytra |
| Guadeloupe Hercules | Dynastes hercules lichyi | Guadeloupe | 50-150mm | Shorter horn, black body with yellowish elytra |
| Ecuadorian Hercules | Dynastes hercules occidentalis | Ecuador | 50-140mm | Medium horn, black body with brownish elytra |
| Lesser Antillean Hercules | Dynastes hercules septentrionalis | Lesser Antilles | 50-130mm | Smallest horn, black body with reddish elytra |
| Bolivian Hercules | Dynastes hercules paschoali | Bolivia | 50-160mm | Medium horn, black body with bluish elytra |
| Ecuatorianus Hercules | Dynastes hercules ecuatorianus | Ecuador | 50-140mm | Similar to occidentalis but with slight variations |
| Morishimai Hercules | Dynastes hercules morishimai | – | 50-150mm | Distinct horn shape, black body with green elytra |
| Reidi Hercules | Dynastes hercules reidi | Trinidad and Tobago | 50-160mm | Prominent horn, black body with yellowish elytra |
| Takakuwai Hercules | Dynastes hercules takakuwai | – | 50-150mm | Unique horn curvature, black body with green elytra |
| Trinidadensis Hercules | Dynastes hercules trinidadensis | Trinidad | 50-160mm | Similar to reidi but with slight morphological differences |
The Morishaimai Hercules and the Takakuwai Hercules are both relatively new additions to the family tree – both listed by the Global Core Biodata Resource (GBIF) as newly discovered in 2002. Specific locations for their habitats are hard to come by, but they broadly live within South America and Central America along with the rest of the species.
Is a Hercules beetle stronger than a rhino beetle?
Rhinoceros beetles are notoriously strong, and the Hercules beetle is in fact, a specific type of rhinoceros beetle. The Hercules Beetle often gets more attention than other types of rhino beetle though due to its impressive size and horns. However, when it comes to raw strength in relation to body weight, some other rhino beetles are quite comparable. The exact winner might vary based on individual circumstances, particularly the square-cube law, but all rhino beetles are marvels of nature in their own right.
One beetle species that may be stronger than even the most flattering anecdotal accounts of the hercules beetle, is the horned dung beetle, which can reportedly lift over 1,000 times its bodyweight!
Distribution – Location and Habitat
The habitat that these beetles choose to live in, is very fitting for an insect with such a mythical title. From misty mountainous regions to dense lowland rainforests. Their range extends from southern Mexico to Bolivia, and some subspecies are endemic to surrounding islands, particularly the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago.
Other subspecies range across the northern countries in South America, from Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. These beetles prefer the damp, humid environment of rainforests, where they can thrive and live up to their role in the ecosystem.
The Lifestyle & Behaviour of The Hercules Beetle
Hercules beetles often engage in intense combat for the right to mate, using their large horns as weapons in these epic battles. They have a particular method to their attack, seeking to pin and throw their opponent. These wars can often result in serious injury not only to the males, but sometimes to the female too.
After winning mating rights, the short lived victory is soon forgotten, as both males and females will have multiple partners within the mating season.
Being nocturnal insects, they come alive at night foraging for fruit and exploring their surroundings. As the sun rises, they retreat, seeking shelter in the leaf litter or by burrowing to escape the heat and the threat from potential predators.
These beetles use a combination of chemoreception, sight, and mechanical perception to communicate and sense their environment. Males, especially, are attuned to the presence of females, likely using chemical pheromones to seek them out for mating.
Diet & Nutrition of The Hercules Beetle
The larval stage of hercules beetles are particularly important in their ecosystem, because they love to eat rotting wood. This is a very specific type of diet known as saproxylophagous which is very useful for cycling nutrients and maintaining the quality of soil to maintain the forest environment.
While the larvae have a preference for rotting wood, adult Hercules Beetles have a more varied, though still herbivorous diet. They enjoy a mix of fresh and rotting fruit, and they have a particular fondness for tree sap. Their strong mandibles allow them to carve out bark, giving them easy access to the sap which they drink up using their mandibles like a straw.
Predators & Threats to The Hercules Beetle
In the wild, the Hercules Beetle, despite its size, has to be wary of predators. Birds like woodpeckers, toucans, and some species of owls might find adult Hercules Beetles to be a good meal.
Small mammals such as bats, or coatimundi, and amphibians such as large insect loving frogs or toads might see them as a meal too.
Some large predatory insects, like the praying mantis, and spiders might prey on younger or smaller Hercules Beetles. Then there are centipedes, which are known to be voracious insectivores that might also pose a threat. However, their size and strength act as deterrents for many smaller predators.
The common human threats from deforestation, agriculture and the use of pesticides are also a threat to these beetles and the habitat they live in.
The Hercules Beetle Reproduction
The mating season for Hercules beetles coincides with the rainy season. After the male successfully fights off other competitors, and a successful mating ritual, females with go through a gestation period of around 30 days. These oviparous beetles will then lay up to around 100 eggs, choosing the ground or dead wood as their nesting site. These eggs hatch around 4 weeks later, and the young beetles will enter their first larval stage.
The larval stage can stretch up to two years, during which they undergo three distinct metamorphosis stages. The first two last around 50 days each, and the third stage is the longest, lasting for around one and a half years. These larvae, which can grow up to 11 cm in length, eventually enter the pupal stage, lasting about 32 days, before emerging as adult beetles.
Lifespan of The Hercules Beetle
The longest period of a Hercules beetle’s life, is during the third larval stage. As adult beetles, they only live for between 3 to 6 months, even when in captivity with optimal environmental conditions.
From the moment they hatch to their final days, they can live for around two and a half years and only a fifth of that time is spent as a mature adult.
Population and Conservation
The Hercules Beetle is not listed as a species of concern and there are no known efforts to conserve the species in place. While not endangered, they do play a pivotal role in the rainforest ecosystem. Especially during their larval stage. Pressures that the rainforest faces, with deforestation, poor forest management and agricultural practices, are pressures that also effect the species, including the Hercules beetle that rely on this ecosystem to survive.
5 Fun Hercules Beetle Facts for Kids
- Did you know? The Hercules Beetle, believe it or not is one of the largest flying insects on our planet!
- Those big horns on male beetles? They use them to wrestle, pin and throw their opponents.
- Depending on the weather, their colour can change.
- If they feel threatened, they can make a ‘huffing’ sound. It’s their way of saying, ‘Back off!’
- They might look tough, but they are herbivores with a sweet diet – enjoying plenty of fruit!
