Meet the Rhino Beetle https en wikipedia orgwikiXylotrupesulysses

Meet the Rhino Beetle https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Xylotrupes_ulysses

Or as the Egg-Heads refer to it: Xylotrupes ulysses: The Common Rhinoceros Beetle Aegopsis curvicornis Agaocephalini The three stages from larva to adult: Larva (back), Pupa (center), Imago(fro nt) https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dynastinae Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Infraorder: Scarabaeiformi a Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea Family: Scarabaeidae Subfamily: Dynastinae

Anatomical Comparison of the Rhino Beetle to a Human. (Not to Scale) http: //1 loveislam. com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stock-photo-6466951 -human-body-of-a-man-with-muscles. jpg http: //www. bugunderglass. com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/framed-rhino-beetle-254 x 203. jpg

Some of the External Anatomical Differences Rhino Beetles v v Have Exoskeletons, that is, their Bones consist of Hardened Exterior Shells, Sclerites, all around their Body. Have Wings Provide the Power of Flight, albeit Inefficiently. v Walk on (6) Legs. v Have Compound Eyes. v Have Antennae for Smell, Feeling around, Mating Practices, and Sometimes Defense. v And, of Course, are the Proud Possessor of a Magnificent Horn. Humans v Have Internal Skeletons. v Evolutionarily Forced to Walk Everywhere or Drive Cars. v Walk on (2) Legs. v Have Simple Eyes, Reflective Cornea. v Have a Nose for Smell and is usually the First Thing to get busted in any sort of Defensive Fight. v Males wish they had a Horn-Like Structure that was up to 1/3 Their Body Length.

The Internal View of the Rhino Beetle https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Beetle#/media/File: Internal_morphology_of_Coleoptera. svg

The Circulatory System of These Little Guys v Beetles have Hemolymph instead of blood, and the open circulatory system of the beetle is powered by a tube-like “heart” attached to the dorsal wall of the hemocoel inside thorax. v Beetles have an open circulatory system, that is, they lack an extensive system of arteries and veins and their hemolymph bathes their tissues directly. A tube-like "heart" in the abdomen has paired inlets, or ostia, at intervals down its length and circulates the hemolymph from the main cavity of the haemocoel and out through the anterior cavity in the head. v The “heart” pumps the hemolymph forward through a dorsal tube ("aorta") in the thorax to the head. Tiny pumps send the hemolymph to the wings, antennae and legs, after which the fluid flows back passively to the heart in the abdomen. The hemolymph transports nutrients throughout the body, and carries waste products from the organs to the Malpighian tubules. Free cells called Hemocytes travel in the hemolymph and serve to devour foreign microorganisms. Unlike the blood of the vertebrates, the hemolymph is not involved in oxygen transport; that function is performed by the spiracles. http: //science. jrank. org/pages/808/Beetles-Beetle-anatomy-physiology. html https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Beetle#Circulatory_system https: //en. wikibooks. org/wiki/Horticulture/Beetles

What the %()@# did all That Mean? v First of all…Hemolymph, or Haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod body remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph cells called hemocytes are suspended. In addition to hemocytes, the plasma also contains many chemicals. v And…Malpighian tubule system is a type of excretory and osmoregulatory system found in some insects, myriapods, arachnids, and tardigrades. The system consists of branching tubules extending from the alimentary canal that absorbs solutes, water, and wastes from the surrounding hemolymph. The wastes then are released from the organism in the form of solid nitrogenous compounds. The system is named after Marcello Malpighi, a seventeenth-century anatomist. v Finally…Spiracles on the exoskeletons to allow air to enter the trachea. In the respiratory system of insects, the tracheal tubes primarily deliver oxygen directly into the animals' tissues. The spiracles can be opened and closed in an efficient manner to reduce water loss. This is done by contracting closer muscles surrounding the spiracle. In order to open, the muscle relaxes. The closer muscle is controlled by the central nervous system but can also react to localized chemical stimuli. https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hemolymph https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Spiracle https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Malpighian_tubule_system https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Beetle#/media/File: Internal_morphology_of_Coleoptera. svg http: //previews. 123 rf. com/images/gnurf 1106/gnurf 110600003/9926108 -Confused-cartoon-guy-scratching-his-head-Stock-Vector. jpg

And for Those Looking for a Little Something Extra… v. Different species of Beetles can produce different types of pheromones to attract mates. v. Even the light from a firefly is considered an action to attract a mate. v. As a defense, Beetles can also eject various repellents. Some consisting of Hydrocarbons, Phenols , and Acids.

And , now for a Palate Cleanser: Gratuitous Violence!

-What was all that Fighting For? -To Mate, Bro, that’s what for. v. The idea behind this combat is to throw the opposition out of the area. The area being a place that has something to offer females like a supply of tree sap or a steaming pile of dung. This territorial control increases the likelihood of mating. v. After some success, a blessing can be expected.

The Life Cycle of a Beetle v After mating, the female will lay up to 50 eggs in an area with decaying wood or other vegetation for the larvae to feed off of when they hatch. v The eggs are oval in shape and are yellow or white. v They are born as larva or commonly known grubs. They can remain in this stage for years depending on the species. v At this stage they go through several metamorphoses and become bigger and may change slightly. v Then they go into and through the Pupa stage which is the final stage before becoming an adult Beetle.

God* has a particular liking towards Beetles v There an estimated 350, 000 -400, 000 different species v About 1 in every four animals on the earth is a Beetle v The earliest known Beetles date back to about 285 MYA. v Beetles are extremely popular around the world and have been around since forever so they can lay claim to a large ownership of this planet. v But they are also…. . tasty? *If You Believe in that Sort of Thing

U. N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try From beetles to stinkbugs, people in dozens of countries eat insects. By Jennifer S. Holland, for National Geographic PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2013 1. Beetles The most commonly eaten beetles are the long-horned, june, dung, and rhinoceros varieties. These are munched by people living in the Amazon basin, parts of Africa, and other heavily forested regions, both tropical and temperate, as diverse species are easily found in trees, fallen logs, and on the forest floor. (Native Americans, I've heard, would roast them over coals and eat them like popcorn. ) They are efficient at turning cellulose from trees (indigestible to humans) into digestible fat. Beetles also have more protein than most other insects. And…. Entomologist Séverin Tchibozo suggests the larvae contain much more protein (40%), than chicken (20%) and beef (approximately 18%) and they could become a protein source for a large human population. https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dynastinae http: //news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2013/13/130514 -edible-insects-entomophagy-science-food-bugs-beetles/

As you can see, the Larva or Grubs can grow fairly large and delicious. http: //3. bp. blogspot. com/-Ufx 6 efr 8 df 8/T 1 I 6 Bi. C 0 ix. I/AAAAB 3 w/Qm. IPb. R 3 z. Op. I/s 1600/giant_beetle_larva. jpg

That’s Right! People Might want to Consider Beetles for Dinner or a Snack. http: //www. survivetheend. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/eating-beetles. jpg http: //cdn. zmescience. com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/eating-insects. jpeg

But Before We Head Out, What about that Sexy Horn? v. Only the males have these delightful horns. v. The horn is primarily used for fighting with other males. But can also indicate health; bigger is better. v. Nutrition plays a direct role in horn growth. Primarily insulin/IGF influences horn growth by up to 16% and wing span by 2%. http: //www. nature. com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_rhino_beetle_got

And Some More Egg-Head Data about Growth Impact ….

…. and Growth means Evolution! v As illustrated by the chart to the left, Beetles have not only been around for a long, long time, but their numbers have grown. And with growth comes evolutionary advancements. The phylogenetic growth of three different trophic levels in Coleoptera by number of genera

So Much So That Some Scientists Predict They will Evolve to Conquer Humans. * http: //orig 12. deviantart. net/ad 2 d/f/2009/007/4/5/rhino_beetle_2_color____by_edcomics. jpg * Unsubstantiated Claim

Or maybe they’ll be much more cuddly* https: //www. colourbox. com/preview/8299573 -cute-rhinoceros-beetle-cartoon. jpg *Equally Unsubstantiated

Read ‘Em and Weep: The Reference Page • • • • • • https: //www. colourbox. com/preview/8299573 -cute-rhinoceros-beetle-cartoon. jpg http: //hs. umt. edu/dbs/labs/emlen/images/research%20 page/figure%204. jpg http: //www. nap. edu/openbook/11790/xhtml/images/p 200138 f 0 g 260001. jpg http: //www. bugunderglass. com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/framed-rhino-beetle. jpg http: //www. livescience. com/27851 -rhinoceros-beetle-horn-evolution. html http: //www. nature. com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_rhino_beetle_got http: //geekologie. com/2015/02/18/frog-riding-beetle. jpg http: //3. bp. blogspot. com/Ufx 6 efr 8 df 8/T 1 I 6 Bi. C 0 ix. I/AAAAB 3 w/Qm. IPb. R 3 z. Op. I/s 1600/giant_beetle_larva. jpg http: //www. survivetheend. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/eating-beetles. jpg http: //cdn. zmescience. com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/eating-insects. jpeg <iframe width="854" height="480" src="https: //www. youtube. com/embed/Ejv. LOAIxb. NQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> http: //orig 12. deviantart. net/ad 2 d/f/2009/007/4/5/rhino_beetle_2_color____by_edcomics. jpg https: //en. wikibooks. org/wiki/Horticulture/Beetles http: //science. jrank. org/pages/808/Beetles-Beetle-anatomy-physiology. html http: //previews. 123 rf. com/images/gnurf 1106/gnurf 110600003/9926108 -Confused-cartoon-guyscratching-his-head-Stock-Vector. jpg https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hemolymph https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Malpighian_tubule_system https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Spiracle https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dynastinae http: //www. nature. com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_the_rhino_beetle_got