Actaeon Beetle vs Mars Elephant Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Actaeon Beetle Mars Elephant Beetle
Scientific Name Megasoma actaeon Megasoma mars
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae
Size 50-135 mm 50-130 mm
Habitat Forests Mountains
Diet Wood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions South America Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Actaeon Beetle

Contender for the worlds heaviest beetle — a male larva bred in Japan weighed 228 grams, about the weight of a brown rat. Adults are armored giants of the Amazon.

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Did You Know?

A captive-bred Actaeon beetle larva weighed 228 grams — about half a pound — making it the heaviest insect larva ever recorded, heavier than a hamster.

Mars Elephant Beetle

A large rhinoceros beetle with distinctive yellowish hairs covering its elytra. Males have a long pronotal horn and two smaller cephalic horns.

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Did You Know?

The dense golden hairs on its wing covers help it regulate body temperature in cooler montane environments.