RHINO-BEETLE

Rhinoceros beetles are herbivorous insects named for the horn-like projections on and around the males' heads. Most are black, gray, or greenish in color, and some are covered in soft hairs. Another name given to some of these insects is the Hercules beetle, because they possess a strength of Herculean proportion. Adults of some species can lift objects 850 times their weight. (That would be equivalent to a human lifting nine fully grown male elephants.) One way the beetles use this extreme strength is to dig themselves into leaf litter and soil to escape danger. Their horns also help them to do this. Rhinoceros beetles can grow up to six inches (15 centimeters), making them some of the largest beetles in the world.

Rhinoceros beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica. In the United States, they live in the south from Arizona northeast to Nebraska and eastward. Leaf litter, plants, and fallen logs provide a safe hideout for rhinoceros beetles during the day.

Rhinoceros beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica. In the United States, they live in the south from Arizona northeast to Nebraska and eastward. Leaf litter, plants, and fallen logs provide a safe hideout for rhinoceros beetles during the day.

The beetles' population status probably varies among species. Rhinoceros beetles are collected as pets, and in some Asian countries, gamblers place bets on which of two male beetles will knock the other off a log.

WHERE WILL YOU FIND THEM

Under the rocks nearby the tree