For example, a beetle with horns on the back of the head, near its eyes, often has smaller eyes than a beetle with no such horns.
If the horns are on the front of the head, the beetle may have normal eyes, but relatively small antennae. And if the horns are on the thorax, the beetle has smaller-than-average wings.
This makes sense, because growing a horn takes a lot of energy. By studying how horns grow and how the beetles use them, scientists such as Moczek and Emlen are unraveling beetle history. Were the first horns used as weapons or as tools for opening larval head capsules? Did hornless males evolve because sneaking works better without horns or because horns take too much energy to grow?
In the illustration at left, two horned males fight at the entrance to a tunnel. In the illustration at right, two hornless males try to sneak toward a female from the sides, while a horned male guards the top of the tunnel. If you live near cows, you can find dung beetles on your own. Go to a pasture, put on some gloves, and peek underneath the cow droppings. Studying dung beetles can be fascinating.
By Roberta Kwok May 14, at pm. Roberta Kwok holds dung beetles in her hands. Armin Moczek Moczek studies beetles in his lab, and he takes good care of his bugs. Armin Moczek. Animals Cockatoos learn from each other how to open garbage bins By Sarah Zielinski October 26, Animals What biologists call a species is becoming more than just a name By Jack J. Lee October 14, At first glance Rhinoceros or Rhino Beetles might seem a little antisocial, but they are not only harmless but truly fascinating.
These quirky shiny-black beetles grow to around 6 or 7 cm in length so you will definitely see them when they fly about. Rhino Beetles only live in warm coastal tropical or subtropical climates, so in Australia they are mostly found in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern New South Wales.
Get to know your rhinos. Especially during summer months, female Rhino Beetles release special hormones to attract the males. You will recognise them if you see one; they are c-shaped, white grubs with fine reddish hairs and a brown head. Rhino Beetle babies feed on decaying organic matter, so having a healthy compost bin in your backyard is a great way to attract female Rhino Beetles looking for somewhere to lay their eggs.
Like a lot of beetles and insects, Rhino Beetles are attracted to bright lights at night. You might find them collecting under your veranda lights or flying into your windows, so just turn off the lights or pull down the blinds to deter them. Rhino Beetles get along so well with humans that they are even kept as pets in some parts of the world. In summer, you might see big groups of males getting together to fight. They hiss and push each other off trees with their horns to impress any nearby females.
Adult Rhino Beetles love Poinciana trees, so if you have one at or near your house you could see a huge number of Rhino Beetles getting together for a feast.
It might look like they are eating quite a lot of the leaves if there is only one tasty tree in the neighbourhood for them to meet at, but they rarely do any lasting damage to a tree. Photo: Donald Hobern. Rhinoceros Beetles Go Back. They comprised only 0. Because of their low mass, they hardly affected the beetles' center of mass. Cutting off a male's horn moved his center of mass only about 1. And in flight, the horns made no difference at all.
The beetles fly slowly with their bodies in a near-vertical position, McCullough found. At this angle, even a huge horn adds almost no drag. The researchers report their findings today March 12 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Without much of a cost to the beetle's survival, evolution is essentially free to experiment with weird and wild horn shapes.
Follow Stephanie Pappas sipappas. Original article on LiveScience.
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