Alien-Looking Hercules Beetle Pupa May Be One Of The Largest Insects On Earth

A Hercules beetle pupa was filmed wriggling as it emerges into a fully grown insect. This alien-looking beetle pupa may be one of the largest insects in the world.

Ziya Tong shared the footage online. She is the host of a TV nature program in Canada known as Daily Planet. The insect is described "like something right out of Aliens" because of its appearance that seems weird and unusual.

Hercules beetle (Dynastes Hercules) is a type of rhinoceros beetle that can be found in the rainforests of South America, Central America, Andes and the Lesser Antilles. It is about 17.5 cm in length including its horn. The Guinness World of Records makes the Hercules beetle the longest species of beetle in the world. It could carry up to 850 times its body mass, yet the much smaller beetle could carry up to 100 times its body mass, in which at this point they can hardly move.

The larva of Hercules beetle measures over 150 mm (6 inches) in length and it weighs about 140 grams (4.9 ounces). The larva will be turned into a pupa stage before it will molt and emerge as an adult. Once it reached its pupal stage and has been developed inside its cocoon, it will lose some of its mass. On the other hand, it will gain its horns, according to Science Alert.

The Epic Creature of the Month blog stated that the lifecycle of Hercules beetle is rare for an insect and usually longer than most. It further stated that once hatched from its egg, the larva spends eating decaying woods. Its larva also looks like a big white caterpillar.

It will turn into a hard shell and morph into the beetle once it has stored sufficient energy. Then, when the beetle is ready to come out, it will shed its shell and develop into an adult. The adult beetle usually inhabits in the forest floor and looks for decaying fruit, mate and fight, according to Mirror.