← back to grid
common
European Rhinoceros Beetle
Oryctes nasicornis
- Habitat
- Decaying wood and compost heaps across Europe, North Africa and western Asia
- Body length
- 40 mm
- Order
- Coleoptera · Scarabaeidae
Weird but real
The male's curved horn is pure show-off armor: it never bites and can lift objects 850 times its own weight.
Why it's cool
A glossy mahogany tank whose grubs quietly recycle rotting logs for years before the horned adult ever appears.
