Elephas beetle Coloring Pages

One of the Heaviest in the World! What Is the Huge Elephas Beetle?

The Elephas beetle is one of the heaviest beetles in the world! It belongs to the order Coleoptera, the family Scarabaeidae, and the genus Megasoma. It is not as long as the Hercules beetle. But it has a thick, heavy body and is one of the biggest beetles in the world! You could call it the heavyweight champion of the beetle world. It is a super cool and powerful insect!

How It Got Its Name and Its English Name

The name "Elephas" comes from an ancient word and Latin that means "elephant"! People say it got this name because it looks so huge and heavy, and the male's head horn looks just like a long elephant trunk. In English, it is called "Elephant beetle," and kids all over the world love this giant beetle!

Where Do They Live? Habitat and Environment

The Elephas beetle lives in rainforests (jungles) from Mexico through Central America and into northern South America. They love deep jungle forests that stay warm and humid all year long, and they often live high up in big, tall trees. They are nocturnal, so they hide in shadows or near the roots of trees during the day. When night comes, they start moving around and fly about with a loud swooshing sound!

Like velvet! The secret of the "yellow hair" all over its body

Japanese rhinoceros beetles are shiny black or brown, but the Elephas beetle's body actually looks gold or yellow (golden brown)! That is because fine, short hairs grow all over its hard black shell, packed together just like a carpet. When you touch it, it feels fancy like velvet or a rug! But it has a cool secret. If it fights or gets old, these hairs can rub off, and you can see its shiny black body underneath.

Super Cool! Impressive Horns Just Like an Elephant's Trunk

Males have big, sturdy horns that are just right for an Elephas beetle!

• Head horn: It grows long toward the front, and the tip splits into two parts. This is the main reason it looks like an elephant's trunk!

• Chest horns: Short, sharp horns stick out forward from the left and right sides of its chest. It uses these three horns to sumo wrestle with other males over food, and uses its huge body to throw them high into the air!

What do they eat to grow big?

Grown-up Elephas beetles love to eat nutritious tree sap spilling from jungle trees! They also love sweet juice from ripe fruit that fell to the ground. They use their mouth like a long brush to lick it up happily.

How long do they live? Secrets of their lifespan and growth

Once they become adults, Elephas beetles live for about 3 months to half a year. But they spend a super long time as grubs before that! After hatching from eggs, the grubs munch on rotten wood in the jungle. They spend a long time underground, from about 1.5 years to over 2 years! A big, plump grub can weigh over 100 grams (about as heavy as a small apple). That makes them the heaviest grubs in the world!

How to make the special "golden fur" look real

Here are coloring tricks to show off the cool velvet-like golden body of the Elephas beetle! The secret to making it look real is layering a few colors instead of using just one.

• Base color: First, gently color the whole body using a light yellow or cream color.

• Color blending: Next, follow the round shape of its body and softly layer yellow-ocher or light reddish-brown over it. Leave bright yellow on top of the back where the light hits. Then, make the brown darker toward the sides. This brings out the beauty of its golden-brown fur!

Details for the "black skin" where fur rubbed off

To make a cool Elephas beetle that has survived the jungle, try leaving some black spots where the fur has worn off!

• Show the black skin: Use pure black or dark brown to color the tips of the horns, the center of the back, and around the joints where fur rubs off easily.

• Show different feel: The soft yellow fur and the hard, shiny black spots make a cool mix! This makes your Elephas beetle look like a tough battle veteran popping right out of a picture book.

Making the horn armor and powerful legs pop

Here are tips to color the big horn and strong legs to look super tough.

• Horn depth: For the big horn on its head, use dark brown for shadows on the bottom and light yellow on top. This makes it look like it is popping straight out at you!

• Strong legs: Use dark brown or black to trace along the lines of the sturdy legs and claws that grip the trees. Make the sharp spikes on the legs look nice and pointy to give it a strong hunter feel!

Express yourself! Draw a background for a powerful picture

Draw your own background to make the giant body of the Elephas beetle look even bigger!

• Jungle nature: Color the thick tree trunk dark brown or gray with rough lines. Then, draw lots of big bright green and dark green jungle leaves in the background. It will feel just like the deep forests of South America!

• Battle tough rivals: You can also draw rivals like the Hercules beetle or Actaeon elephant beetle in the empty white spaces! Making an epic battle scene is a great idea. Have fun using your imagination to create your own awesome bug art!

The "World Heavyweight Champion" of the Beetle World!

The Elephas beetle is the heaviest beetle in the whole world! It is not as long as the Hercules beetle. But its body is super wide and thick! The biggest male Elephas beetle can weigh almost 50 grams. That makes it super big and heavy!

Just Like a Stuffed Toy!? Covered in "Golden Hair"

Regular beetles have black bodies. But the Elephas beetle is covered in short, tiny, yellowish-gold hairs! When you touch it, it feels fluffy just like fancy velvet or a stuffed toy. It looks very fancy and pretty!

Named After the Big "Elephant"

The name "Elephas" comes from the animal, the elephant! It is not just big and heavy. The male's cool horn looks just like an elephant's long trunk and tusks. That is how it got its name!

Super Big, but "Very Gentle and Kind"

Some beetles like to fight, but the Elephas beetle is very gentle and calm. It does not fight other bugs over food very often. It holds onto trees with its long claws and takes life easy.

The Secret: Touching It Too Much Makes It "Go Bald"

The Elephas beetle has cool golden hair all over its body. But the hair falls off easily if you rub it! If it fights or if you touch it many times, the hair rubs off. Then you will see its black skin underneath! That is why old Elephas beetles in the wild often have black backs.