The Biggest Beetle In The World

The Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is the largest known beetle in the Amazon rainforest and one of the largest insect species in the world. It is from the family Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles). The titan beetle is the only member of its own genus. It is known from the rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Guianas, and north-central Brazil, where it is most commonly collected by the use of mercury-vapor lamps, to which the males are attracted.

Size of this preview: 753 × 599 pixels
Adults can grow up to 6.5 inches (16.7cm) in length[1] (or 8 inches (21cm) including antennae). It is said that their mandibles can snap pencils in half and cut into human flesh. Adult Titan Beetles do not feed, they simply fly around to find mates. They are attracted to bright lights after dark.

The larvae have never been found, but are thought to feed inside wood and may take several years to reach full size before they pupate. Boreholes thought to be created by titan beetle larvae seem to fit a grub over two inches wide and perhaps as much as one foot long.

The adults defend themselves by hissing in warning, and have sharp spines as well as strong jaws.