About Megasoma elephas (Fabricius, 1775)
Megasoma elephas, commonly known as the elephant beetle, belongs to the family Scarabaeidae and the subfamily Dynastinae. It is classified as a Neotropical rhinoceros beetle. Elephant beetles inhabit rainforests and are primarily nocturnal. When foraging, they can maintain a high internal body heat even when the surrounding temperature is low. Rainforest destruction has depleted elephant beetle populations by reducing their available mating grounds. In several Central American countries including Costa Rica and Nicaragua, decorated gold-mounted male elephant beetle heads are used as charm necklaces, and this practice has also caused severe negative impacts on their populations. In the wild, elephant beetles feed on the sap of specific trees and ripe fallen fruits. In captive settings, they also consume exotic fruits like pineapples, longan, and lychee, as well as bark from certain trees such as poinciana. As part of a Pentagon-sponsored project, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have implanted electrodes into elephant beetle pupae. The implants allow limited remote control over the flying behavior of adult elephant beetles.
