The Goliath beetle (or Goliathus goliatus) is a large species of insect that lives in the savannah and rainforests of Central Africa. The males and females are different in appearance and size; the males being larger – between 60 and 100mm – with a dark brown abdomen, a brown thorax with white stripes, black legs, as well as a white head with a Y-shaped horn. The females have shorter, thinner stripes on the thorax, are smaller in size – between 50 and 80mm – and do not have a horn. Little is known about the lifecycle of this species in the wild, but it is threatened by habitat loss due to destruction of the rainforests that it lives.
Latin Name
Goliathus goliatus
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Animal Facts
Goliath beetles are part of the scarab beetle family.
The Goliath beetle can reach lengths of 110mm.
The Goliath beetle uses its tarsi (feet claws) to scratch at the bark of trees and extract sap.
The larvae of the Goliath beetle require a high protein diet to achieve their large size as adults, so it is very important where a female chooses to lay her eggs.
Goliath beetles have a short lifespan as adults; when they emerge from their pupa, they begin searching for a mate and will die soon after mating.