Hercules (Beetle) against it’s 13th labor: The Rhinoceros (Beetle)

Anatta Blue Chankhunthod

June 13, 2025

Bug battles are something that children argue about during the summer and springtime. Playful bickering with no actual conclusion in sight. However, what’s the actual truth about some of these imaginary battles? Our first case is whether a Hercules Beetle would win a fight against a Rhinoceros Beetle. I argue that, due to physical differences, a Hercules Beetle would best be a Rhinoceros Beetle.

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is a subspecies of Rhinoceros beetles, which belong to the subfamily Dynastinae within the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Rhinoceros beetles are a broad group with many genera, which are all known for their horns and strong builds, while Hercules beetles are one of the most famous and strongest examples of this group.

First of all, while Rhinoceros beetles are known for being large, with males reaching 150mm, or 6 inches, the average male Hercules beetle can grow to a staggering 170mm, or 6.75 inches. This is due to the Hercules beetle's large horn which measures several inches, which only males possess. Furthermore, the Rhinoceros beetle has an average weight between 0.2 to 1.2 ounces, while the average Hercules beetle weighs between 0.5 to 1.2 ounces. This large size difference between the two types spells out victory for the Hercules beetle, which is the larger of the two. Additionally, while Hercules beetles are known for their long horns, Rhinoceros beetles tend to have shorter horns than Hercules beetles. This difference in weaponry only furthers my argument that a Hercules beetle would be victorious over a Rhinoceros beetle.

Continuing on the theme of physical attributes, both the Rhinoceros and Hercules beetle are renowned for their immense strength. Studies show that the Rhinoceros beetle, and therefore by extension the Hercules beetle, can lift to 850 times its body weight, making it one of the strongest animals on Earth in terms of strength-to-mass. While both the Rhinoceros beetle and Hercules beetle are famed for strength, the Hercules beetle is generally larger than the Rhinoceros beetle, making it stronger than the Rhinoceros beetle.

Finally, the difference in horn length, and the way both species use them, plays a major deciding role between a Hercules and Rhinoceros beetle. As stated above, a Hercules beetle tends to have a much longer horn than a Rhinoceros beetle. To add to this, Hercules beetles have more complex horn structures, with one horn curving from their back, and a larger one curving up from the head. This unique horn structure plays directly into the Hercules beetle's fighting style, which involves using their horns to grapple and lift their opponents, often tossing them around. In contrast, the Rhinoceros beetle has numerous types of horn structures, which all reflect the fighting style of a specific type. For example, the Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) features a forked horn to twist and pry their opponents off the branch they’re fighting on. Or take the Golofa porteri beetles, which have long, slender horns, resembling a fencing sword, and use them for pushing and prying opponents. 

Overall, due to a difference in size, strength, horn structure, and fighting style, I argue that a Hercules beetle would defeat a Rhinoceros beetle. However, this can be argued, as there are more factors in a battle than the overall differences between the two opponents.