Images: Amazing Rhinoceros Beetles

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Rhinoceros Beetle Diversity

Rhinoceros beetles in a row

(Image credit: Erin McCullough)

Rhinoceros beetles show an amazing diversity in their horns, even within the same species (here, Trypoxlus dichotomus). Females lack horns, but males use them to fight each other.

Horned Beetle

Rhinoceros beetle

(Image credit: Douglas Emlen)

A rhinoceros beetle shows off its antler-like horn.

Rhinoceros Beetle on a Leaf

Rhinoceros beetle on leaf

(Image credit: Douglas Emlen)

A male rhinoceros beetle perches on a leaf.

Tree Beetles

Rhinoceros beetles on tree

(Image credit: Erin McCullough)

Rhinoceros beetles gather on a tree. Males defend sap sites from other males, hoping to mate with females attracted by the sap.

Rhino Beetle Battle

Rhinoceros beetle battle

(Image credit: Douglas Emlen)

Two male rhinoceros beetles lock horns in battle.

Wacky Horn

european rhinoceros beetle

(Image credit: Tomas1111 | Shutterstock)

European rhinoceros beetle, called Oryctes nasicornis in the wild.

Rhinoceros Beetle

Rhinoceros beetle with two horns

(Image credit: zuly, Shutterstock)

There are more than 300 species of rhinoceros beetles, representing a wide array of horn diversity.

Rhino Beetle Fight

Rhinoceros beetle battle

(Image credit: Photo 999, Shutterstock)

Two rhinoceros beetles face off on a tree.

Child's Beetle

Rhinoceros beetle in hand

(Image credit: Adrov Andriy, Shutterstock)

This image of a rhinoceros beetle in a child's hand illustrates the insects' size.

Male Rhino Beetle

Male rhinoceros beetle

(Image credit: RobHamm, Shutterstock)

A male rhinoceros beetle photographed in Ecuador.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.