This combination of features already gives the beetle an unusual appearance, but this beetle is also known for having striking, bold color patterns across its body. The harlequin beetle has lengthy forearms, large mandibles, and long horns on top of its head. Harlequin Beetles Australian harlequin beetle You may also like: Facts and Info About Water Bugs in Texas 8.

Typically, the larger a beetle is, the larger its horn will be. In Japan, the beetle’s horn is sometimes compared to the helmets worn by samurai! Beetles can use their horns to bore into tree trunks and flip over other beetles, incapacitating them. There are more than 1,500 rhinoceros species, but the Japanese rhinoceros beetle is especially well-known thanks to the massive forked horn it has on top of its head. Japanese Rhinoceros Beetles Japanese rhinoceros beetle | image by harum.koh via Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0

It’s possible that the Atlas beetle lost its wings when it developed its horns. Most beetle species have wings, but the Atlas beetle only has a hard shell on its back. While males use their horns to defend their territory and fight with other beetles for potential mates, females use their horns to protect larvae from potential threats. Not only does the Atlas beetle have three long horns, but it also has several other appendages, making it look a little like a spider. Thanks to these massive, horn-like jaws, stag beetles are capable of delivering very painful bites.

The stag beetle has long jaws called mandibles that resemble the antlers of male deer! Both male and female beetles have these mandibles, though the jaws on female beetles are shorter and smaller. Although males are known to use their horns to fight over mates, female beetles will usually choose the beetle with the longest horns to mate with, even when there’s no fighting involved. Major elephant beetles have three long horns, while minor beetles have one long horn and two horns that are much shorter.įemale beetles don’t have horns at all, but they do have tubercles. It’s easy to see how the elephant beetle got its name! At a glance, its horns could easily be mistaken for tusks. These insects can use their horns to lift heavy objects and even other beetles! Thanks to their horns, the Hercules beetle is the longest beetle in the world! 4. This rhinoceros beetle is named for a legendary warrior, and it’s easy to see why! It has horn-like pincers that can grow to be longer than its entire body. Male Goliath beetles have y-shaped horns on their heads, which they use to fight other beetles.

These massive beetles can grow up to 4.3 inches long and can weigh as much as 1.8 ounces! Not only are they the largest species of beetle in the world, but these insects can lift objects far beyond their size. Goliath Beetles Royal goliath beetle in museum | image by Hectonichus via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0 While female beetles don’t have any horns, they do have small bumps called tubercles where horns would normally be. The ox beetle is a type of rhinoceros beetle that has not one, not two, but three horns! Male beetles have two horns behind their head and a larger horn in the center. What kinds of beetles have horns, and what do those horns look like? Why do beetles have horns, and what do they do with them? Read on to learn more about some of the many beetle species that have horns. Some beetles with horns look like they would fit right in with dinosaurs. With so many different types of beetles, it shouldn’t be surprising that some of these insects have unusual features. There are over 350,000 beetle species in the world, making beetles the largest known group of living organisms.

Picture of rhinoceros beetle