Elephant beetle

The elephant beetle (Megasoma elephas) is part of the Scarabaeidae family. It is one of the largest endemic beetles (belonging to the area) in western Mexico.
They can also be found in Central America, South America or Australia up to altitudes of 1000 m.
They can be seen in the forests of Puerto Vallarta between October and February.
It lives in tropical forests and is active most at night. Even if it's rainy season and the temperature is low it has the potential to keep your body temperature high.
The population has drastically decreased with the deforestation of tropical forests due to the reduction of the place for mating. The biggest threat to the elephant beetle is habitat loss.
In some countries like Nicaragua, Costa Rica and others, the male's head is decorated with gold and used for Charms.  And this has led to a reduction in the number of these wonderful species.
At the time of writing, there are no known conservation measures for the species.

Feeding elephant beetle

They feed on rotten fruits fallen on the ground or tree bark. They also feed on flowers and other fruits.
In captivity they are also fed with exotic fruits such as pineapple, lychee, tree bark, etc.

Features elephant cockroach

Males can reach the size of 8 – 12 cm or even more. You can see the impressive size of these insects in the pictures below. Females are much smaller, sometimes half that of males, and have no horns.
The horns of males are large compared to the length of the body. They are used to defend themselves from predators and in the fight for food or mating with other males.
The elephant beetle is black in color and its body is covered with hair. The hair gives the sensation that the insect is reddish-brown in color.
Although they are quite heavy, these insects fly quite well.

Dimensions

Subspecies

Megasoma elephas elephas

Megasoma elephas iijimai

Megasoma elephasoccidentalis

Elephant beetle breeding

Females lay eggs in wood hollows, stumps or on the ground. Larvae have also been found in abandoned Bird hollows or small animal burrows.
After about 3 weeks the larvae emerge which are white, have a brown-black head and have 6 legs.
The larvae feed on wood and take 3 years to reach their optimal size. The transformation from larva to adult beetle takes about 5 weeks and occurs at a temperature of 26 degrees celsius.
After reaching maturity these insects live 3-4 months.