Satin beetle: it turned itself into a living weapon to throw enemies with huge horns (9 photos)

If you thought that the satin beetle got its name because it is soft and silky, nothing of the sort. This armored giant fraternally shared its name with the titan Atlas, who has been holding up the sky somewhere on the borders of existence since ancient times. It is understandable: the arthropod giant who dropped by for a visit is one of the largest beetles on the planet!





And why do you think I need horns? That's right, to hold up the sky!

The seasoned male beetles of this species are the embodiment of epicness and masculinity. 13 centimeters of power are clad in chitinous armor, shining in the sun with black metal. The weapons of the satin beetle are also impressive. Our hero belongs to the rhinoceros beetles. But he decided not to limit himself to one growth on his nose. Instead, three horns gape on the handsome man's face!



My wife didn't cuckold me. I believe she went to spend the night with her friends!

However, if you don't decide to butt heads with such an elk for the heart of his beautiful arthropod lady, then the appendages will not threaten you in any way. Satin beetles, in the spirit of good old duelists, organize tournaments for the attention of a charming young lady. With their horns, they hook their opponents and try to knock them down: either on their backs or from a branch. The winner will be honored to become the father of numerous children.





It's not what you think! We're actually fighting!

Although beetles use their spectacular horns not only for show fights. If the big guy notices that someone big and hungry is approaching him, with the help of powerful tools he will... quickly bury himself in the rotten leaves! Not very brave, but very smart!



And here is that beauty, because of which all the fuss in the beetle world occurs. As you can see, females do not have horns. And her shell is not as glossy as that of the guys.

It is not so much the adults who are famous for their true fighting character among satin beetles, but the larvae. These are cute little things, the size of an adult's thumb. They feed on compost and seem completely harmless. But you shouldn't cuddle such a baby in your arms: if you try to touch the beetle baby, it will insistently demand to be left alone with a powerful bite.



There are no ugly children!

The larvae will gnaw each other to death if they decide that there are not enough comfortable places around, and their fellows eat too much. Atlas beetles can spend up to a year and a half in this cute stage. After which the little insects will burrow deeper, pupate and appear before the world in their grand adult form.



This creepy potato is actually a satin beetle pupa. It will soon turn into an adult!

Adult beetles are convinced vegetarians. Their diet is exquisite: fruit juices and flower nectar. For dinner, the giants fly out with the sunset. The little insects do not like to show off their large, appetizing carcasses during the day, so as not to become dinner for insectivorous birds.



Yes, with wings these bugs look even more epic!

But a vegan diet does not mean that bugs are absolutely harmless. Have you figured out what kind of appetite a tank has? Exactly. Now imagine that such a horned company burst into your garden.



Darth Vader. Well, or Darth Atlas.

You don't have to worry about your garden: if your dacha is not in Southeast Asia, the satin beetle will not visit you. But in Indonesia, this big guy is disapproved of. Especially considering that he has taken to eating fruits and leaves on palm plantations. In an attempt to save the harvest, local farmers set traps every 100 meters on their property: they put pieces of pineapple in hanging containers. As a result, in 2017, more than 600 thousand individuals of the satin beetle were caught in six months on a plantation occupying about 3 thousand hectares!



The legacy of the Triceratops is alive!