Eastern Hercules Beetle With Wing Covers (Elytra) Removed

Scientific Name - Dynastes tityus

Family - Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles) in the order Coleoptera (beetles)

Description

The eastern Hercules beetle is a breathtaking animal. Like its Greek-hero namesake, it is big and strong. Males can be nearly 2½ inches long, counting the two forward-pointing horns. The horns are used for male-male contests for the best breeding sites, much as deer and elk use their antlers. Females lack the horns.

Hercules beetles are harmless to people.

Hercules beetles can vary greatly in the amount of spotting; some are almost completely black or brown, while others are mostly tan, pale green, or yellow, with irregular spots.

As grublike larvae, they eat rotting wood, ultimately helping to enrich soils.