Does Anyone Know What This Is?
@whiteheather39 (24403)
United States
September 25, 2008 2:47pm CST
This really weird looking black beetle is about 2 inches long, has a long pointed nose and sunken eye holes and has a bright red underbelly. Really weird looking! My dogs found it in my back yard. Does anyone know what it is.
Photo of bug/beetle
1 person likes this
8 responses
@sugarplum9084 (1771)
• United States
25 Sep 08
My cousin had one of those clinging to his foot before, you should have saw his face haha, though ours was a little bigger, 2 inches doesn't seem like it is matured quite yet. But by that picture I believe it to be a rhinoceros bug, or "rhino bug", if you look it up perhaps you can clarify it. Maybe it is not called a Rhino bug where you live, but in my area that is what we tend to call them, since they have a rhino-like appearance. I hope I helped, have a great day/night.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
25 Sep 08
sugarplum Thank you you are absoltely correct I found it after you gave me the name and now I am sorry I killed it as it is amazing and harmless the photos on the link are just like the poor thing I killed....
Strongest Creature ...
RHINOCEROS BEETLE
Oryctes rhinoceros
What About Elephants?
You're probably thinking the strongest creature on earth is only a bug that fits in the palm of your hand? What about the largest living land mammal? You'd think something as massive as an elephant would be able to carry way more weight than a little insect. Yes, it's true. An elephant can carry a lot more weight than a rhinoceros beetle, but the definition of strength we're using here is one of proportional strength. A huge African elephant can only carry up to 25% of its own weight on its back. The rhinoceros beetle can carry 850 times its own weight. There's NO CONTEST. That would be like an elephant carrying 850 elephants on its back.
http://www.extremescience.com/StrongestCreature.htm
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
25 Sep 08
It actually looks most like Heterogomphus chevrolati in zukepr's link (doesn't it just roll off the tongue, LOL? 'gomphos' means a large plug or wedge-shaped nail in Greek; 'hetero' means 'both' and I think 'chevrolati' may have to do with goats - though it could be named after a guy called Chevrolat)
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
25 Sep 08
Your picture is a bit fuzzy but I am sure I've seen something like this guy before somewhere though I can't find it just now. It's almost certainly a member of the Scarabidacea (Scarabs ... the ones that cleverly roll up little balls of dung and lay their eggs in them and were also considered very lucky by the Ancient Egyptians).
He doesn't look like any picture I have found of a Rhinoceros Beetle (only seems to have one horn) or a Stag Beetle (two long horns but pointing forwards more than this).
I think he's cute and handsome and should be carefully kept out of the way of the dogs. It's almost certain that he won't taste good, anyway and may squirt very bitter yellow stuff at them if annoyed!
I don't know whether he is good or bad to have in the garden. Very often beetle grubs spend most of their lives eating the roots of things that we tend to appreciate as flowers or vegetables but if it's in the scarab family, the grubs may prefer something more *basic*, if you see what I mean!
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
25 Sep 08
I do know what you mean and at first one of my neighbors thought it was a dung beetle but when he looked at he also thought it was a Rhino Beetle and they eat rotten wood and decayed vegetation.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
25 Sep 08
This photo shows it's two horn pointing forward over its pointy snout.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
25 Sep 08
Thank your son very much. I checked out the long horned beetle and they do not have the long pointed snout and thick horns.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
25 Sep 08
IrishRose the link I gave does say it it of the scarab beetle species and is the strongest animal in the world.
@wampirencja (164)
• Poland
25 Sep 08
He he there was one looking like this one in "Lion King" game. I think it was from 1994 or something like that. I was a very little child by the time.
It looks like this bug who is making balls from... erhm.. fertilizer ^^" I checked in a book and it looks just like it. I belive there are many kind of this beattle, but his "head" looks actually the same.
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
25 Sep 08
That thing is 2 inches long? Glad they live where you are at and not here. I have enough to do dealing with the scorpins, water moscassins, copperheads, black widows, brown recluses, and red wasps.
