Atlas beetle: The wrestling giant of South-East Asia

The Atlas beetle is one of Asia's largest beetles; its males can reach about nine centimetres, with glossy dark armour and three horns that make it look like a tiny bulldozer. In the insect world, it is famous as a "strongman".

Its body

A male Atlas beetle has three horns: two project from the thorax and one from the head. When they fight, they do not stab with the horns — they wrestle: getting under the rival and flipping him over, pushing him off the branch. The biggest one usually wins.

Its grubs (the larvae) eat rotting wood and leaf mould and have a famously short temper, twisting and wriggling if touched. The adults fly up to trees to sip sap and over-ripe fruit.

Is the "strongman" real?

People say a beetle can carry loads many times its own weight — and that is no exaggeration. Beetles like these are full of strong muscle and clever lever-like structures, so their strength-to-weight ratio is remarkable. In the beetle world, "great strength" is not movie exaggeration. But bear in mind that this strength is for wrestling rivals and claiming territory, not for harming people.

A note for grown-ups

You could compare with a child: a beetle smaller than your palm can move something many times its own weight — amazing, isn't it? It shows that you cannot judge by size alone; the little ones in nature often hide surprising power.