Eastern Hercules Beetle (Dynastes tityus)

The eastern Hercules beetle is a species of dynastid beetle native to the east coast of the U.S.A. from New York to Florida. It’s larvae live in and on the soil where they feed on decaying plants and rotten trees. After about a year and a half, these larvae form a pupa underground over the summer. The adults don’t emerge from their pupal shells immediately, as they need to remain underground to survive the winter; once they do emerge from the soil in the spring, males and females can be distinguished by the large horns present on the males’ heads that they use to fight each other for mates. The spots on these beetles’ elytra, or wing covers, are always completely unique to the individual, and the base color of the elytra gets darker when the environment is more humid.