coconut rhinoceros beetle

the coconut rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros are large, impressive looking, solid insects, among the strongest in the world. but they are well known for attacking coconut and other palm trees. though i'm sure it's a very fascinating insect, it's no fun to find because it means they are feeding on our young tender coconut fronds, resulting in lower yields or in some cases no yield at all and even killing a tree.

they are nocturnal and sometimes fly in our open windows. this male with the rhino-like horn landed on our mosquito net. they don't bite or pinch humans so you can pick them up but if you do expect a hiss fit.

the females don't have a horn.

while we are not happy about having rats in our coconut trees because they gnaw on the nuts, but the truth is they also feed on these beetles

from the brown underside we can see how powerful the upper legs are

while we are not happy to have these beetles around we don't go so far as to regard them as pests. in fact they, especially the imposing looking males are kept as pets in some places, though assuredly not by anyone who grows coconut trees.