rhino beetle

Handsome helpers. In Germany, the rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) is a particularly protected animal species. It belongs to the scarab beetle family and its relatives include May beetles and rose beetles.
With a size of up to four centimetres, it is one of our largest native insects.

The beetle is named after the backward-curved horn on the head of the male animal. Females only have a small, hump-shaped elevation at this point.
The magnificent beetle once lived in the forest. Today it can be observed as a culture follower in the vicinity of human settlements and can often be found in parks, gardens, barns and sawmills.
He has discovered compost heaps (requirement: sufficient wood content), rotted sawdust or straw bedding as habitats for his larvae. Thanks to the bacteria in their digestive tract, the rhinoceros beetle larvae can digest wood and in this way process it back into humus soil.