This Gigantic Beetle Sounds Like a Nightmare — but Why?

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Why does this gigantic beetle make such a terrifying sound? The Hercules beetle is one of the largest beetle species in the world today. They’re unique compared to many of the beetles you’ll see throughout North America and Europe, and as shown in the attached video, they make an alarming sound. However, there is a reason behind this sound, so let’s dive right in with the Hercules beetle.

What Is the Hercules Beetle?

The Hercules beetle, or Dynastes Hercules, is one of the largest species of beetles found in the world. Growing up to 7 inches in length, they certainly have a fearsome appearance. However, the fearsome appearance is reserved for males of the species. Large horns grow for the sake of competing for mates.

Despite its admittedly frightening appearance, the Hercules beetle subsists on a diet of fruits. Larvae eat rotting wood pulp. Interestingly, the Hercules beetle has a lifespan of around 3 years or so, with 2 of those years being spent in its larval form.

Where Do They Live?

This Gigantic beetle calls parts of North America and South America home. It is predominantly found in tropical rainforests, and can be found in countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua among others.

A humid climate and an abundance of fruit make for a suitable living environment for the Hercules beetle. Curiously, the Hercules beetle’s outer exoskeleton changes colors depending on the humidity in the air. As such, you could find two beetles of the same species in different countries, and they’d have different colorations depending on the ambient humidity.

How Hercules Beetles Make Sound

There are two primary ways you’ll hear sound coming from a Hercules beetle. The gigantic beetle depicted in the attached video is simply moving its wings, resulting in a loud and persistent humming and clicking noise. This is down to the sheer size of the insect, as this is an exceptionally large example of a male Hercules beetle.

However, that isn’t the only sound a Hercules beetle can make. They also engage in a behavior known as stridulation. This creates a loud huffing noise and is accomplished by the Hercules beetle rubbing its abdomen against its wing casings. Compared to the loud humming and clicking, this noise does serve a distinct purpose.

Does the Sound Serve a Purpose?

The humming sound depicted in the attached video is just part and parcel of the Hercules beetle attempting to take flight. If you went for a stroll in one of the tropical rainforests these gigantic beetles call home, this would just be a normal sound. Given the sheer size of the insect, it making a ruckus when taking flight certainly makes sense.

The stridulation described in my previous point does have a distinct purpose. When confronted by any of the natural predators of the Hercules beetle, they’ll engage in this stridulation. The huffing noise is intended to intimidate and scare off predators, which seems to work fine given the purpose. Despite this gigantic beetle’s rather fearsome appearance, it doesn’t use its horn-like protrusion to ward off predators.

Conclusion

So, is this terrifying sound a portent of doom? On the contrary, the beating of wings from the Hercules beetle is nothing to be afraid of. Now, if you were a succulent fruit, you might have some reasons for concern. However, these massive beetles are an interesting and beautiful sight to behold. The person handling the beetle in the video is paying little mind to the appearance and just lets the beetle crawl over their hand.