Atlas beetle Coloring Pages

Name Origin and English Name

The Atlas beetle gets its name from Atlas, a giant god from Greek myths. Atlas was so strong that he held up the huge sky on his shoulders. This beetle got its name because it has big, strong horns just like that god!

It is called "Atlas beetle" in English too. It is a very famous beetle all over the world.

Where Do They Live? Places You Can Find Them

The Atlas beetle does not live in wild forests in Japan. It lives in warm, tropical jungles in Southeast Asia. You can find many of them in these countries:

• Indonesia (places like Sumatra, Java, and Borneo)

• Malaysia

• Philippines

• Thailand

Their favorite home is the tropical rainforest. It is warm all year and full of tall trees. In Japan, you can see them at summer bug shows or pet shops that sell cool insects from other countries!

When Can You See Them? Active Season

They live in warm tropical places all year. So, they do not move around just in the summer like Japanese beetles. They stay active and healthy all year long! They are nocturnal bugs that move around at night. They fly high in the jungle trees and gather around sweet smells like bananas.

What Do They Eat to Grow Big?

• Grown-up beetles (Adults): They love sweet, healthy tree sap from palm trees and other jungle trees. They also love juice from ripe fruits that fall to the ground. If you keep one at home, it will gobble up insect jelly super fast!

• Baby beetles (Larvae): When they are babies living in the dirt or inside old wood, they eat soft, rotten wood and rich black soil to grow big.

How Long Do They Live? Life Secrets

The whole life of an Atlas beetle, from egg to adult, is about one year. They spend most of that time (about 8 to 10 months) underground as babies. After they turn into adults and come out of the ground, they live for about 3 to 6 months. They live a little longer than Japanese beetles!

So Cool! Three Splendid Horns

The coolest thing about the Atlas beetle is its main weapon: three big horns growing from its head and chest!

• The top two horns stick out from its chest and curve far forward.

• The bottom horn sticks up straight from its head.

They look a lot like the Caucasus beetle, which is one of the strongest beetles in the world. But you can tell them apart! The Atlas beetle is a bit smaller, and its head horn does not have a extra little bump on it.

Easily Angry? A Super Strong Fighter

The Atlas beetle looks cool, but it actually has a very wild and aggressive personality! When it meets another bug over tree sap, it opens its three horns wide to scare it. Then, it grabs the other bug tightly from below and throws it right off the tree!

Also, it has super long front legs to hold onto trees. It uses these long legs to grab its opponent and fight. It is a true jungle wrestler!

A shiny, metallic dark green body

The body of the Atlas beetle is not just plain black. When the sunlight hits it, it shines like cool metal with green and bronze colors!

• Base colors: Don't press down hard with black right away. First, try coloring the whole body lightly with dark green or olive green.

• The secret for extra shine: Leave thin white lines on the rounded parts of the body and the highest parts of the wing covers. These will look like bright flashes of light! If you color the area around them with a strong black, you can make the body look shiny, hard, and metallic!

How to make the 3 powerful horns look 3D

Here is a cool trick to make the Atlas beetle's famous 3 horns look like they are popping right out at you.

• Adding shadows to the horns: Use your darkest black on the undersides of the horns and where the 3 horns meet at the head. Slowly blend the black into grey or dark green toward the tips of the horns. This will make the horns look sharp and 3D!

Details for the long, strong legs

Let's make the long legs look real, like they are grabbing onto trees and prey!

• Joints and spikes: The front legs of the Atlas beetle have lots of tiny, saw-like spikes. When you trace the legs, use a sharp black colored pencil to press down dark on the tips of these spikes and the sharp claws. Doing just this will make the legs look super strong and ready to hold tight to trees!

• Tummy segments: If the picture shows the side or tummy of the beetle, put small brown or grey shadows between each tummy segment. This makes the tummy look nice and round!

Color the background to build a jungle world

If your picture shows the beetle on a big tree, a fun background will make your main hero look even cooler!

• Bumpy tree trunks: Color the bark of the tree using big up-and-down strokes with brown and dark brown.

• Use color contrast: Since the Atlas beetle has a dark metallic body, try coloring the space around it with bright yellow-green or a clear blue sky. This will make the powerful, dark shape of the Atlas beetle pop right out! You will have a super cool insect page ready for your book!

The Atlas beetle is a 3-horned warrior that rules the tropical jungle. Use your best green and black blending skills to bring the strongest, shiny beetle to life!

Cool "3 horns" are its trademark!

Japanese rhinoceros beetles only have 2 horns, but the Atlas beetle has 3 horns in total. 1 horn on its head and 2 big horns on its chest reach out beautifully to the front. They look super cool, just like weapons from Greek myths!

Its name comes from a "legendary giant"

The name "Atlas" comes from a giant god (Atlas) in Greek myths who holds up the Earth on his shoulders. Just like a giant, it is powerful and strong. It is a very popular beetle from Southeast Asia!

One of the wildest fighters in the beetle world!

Just like it looks, it has a very wild and aggressive personality. If other insects come near its food or space, it gets angry fast and starts a fight. It grabs them tight with its proud 3 horns and flings them away with all its power!

How to tell it apart from the look-alike "Caucasus"

It looks almost the same as the Caucasus beetle, known as the strongest in the world. But you can look at the head horn (the bottom horn) to tell them apart right away. The Caucasus has a small spike on its horn, but the Atlas beetle has no spike and is smooth all over.