Goliath Beetle

Named after the Biblical giant, Goliath, this African Goliath beetles are the largest and the heaviest insects on earth today. They are the first species that fitted into the category of 'beetles', and they have been walking the earth since the past 300 million years. They belong to the scarab family and are a part of the subfamily Cetoniinae. These beetles are mainly found in the tropical region of Africa. Not only are they the heaviest insects or beetles, they can also carry a huge weight upon themselves. They are also excellent climbers as well as fliers. If you need more information about these beetles, then here are some facts and information for you, which I am sure you will find interesting and useful.

Important Facts

It will be interesting to learn more about the insect and about how they look, what they generally feed on, where they live, etc. Here is some of the basic information about this heaviest beetle on earth.

Physical Description
True that these insects have been said to be the biggest and the heaviest insect on earth, but there are beetles that are longer than these beetles. But still it's the Goliath's who takes the top position and that's because of their heavy weight. These beetles have a first pair of wings which is called the elytra, and these are the ones that protect the second pair of soft membranous wings and also the abdomen. The male beetles have Y-shaped horns on their head, which they use in order to fight with other male beetles over territory or over mates. The females however do not have any horns but they do have a wedge shaped head which helps them to make burrows and lay their eggs. These beetles can be found in different colors such as black, blue, gold and bronze. The size of the male beetle varies from 2.5 - 4.2 inches while the females are usually 2.1 - 3.4 inches long.

Habitat and Food
Talking about the habitat, they are mainly found in the tropical regions of Africa, mainly in the temperate southeastern parts of Africa, and in the equatorial rain forests. Warm temperatures are best for the survival of these insects. Coming to the food of these beetles, they mostly feed on the remains of dead plants, fruits, dung and sugary foods. If you are keeping these beetles as pets, then they will do well on protein rich food.

Life Cycle
The female beetles usually lays their eggs underground, and once the larva comes out from the egg, they take time to develop due to their size. The larvae usually grows up to a size of nearly 5 inches and once monsoon arrives in Africa, the larva stops growing. It usually feeds on foods which are rich in proteins. The next stage is to form the cocoon and for that they burrow themselves deep underground and when the dry season comes in, they have already changed into an adult. For nearly 3 weeks, they remain inactive and wrinkly and finally they shed their outer covering, open it's wings and puts them in the normal position. They then fly away in search of other mates, thus continuing the cycle.

You now know where it can be usually found, what the looks like, their life cycle, what they feed on, and so on. If you ever get a chance to come in contact with these beetles, do not let go of that opportunity.