Giant Fijian longhorn beetle
The giant Fijian longhorn beetle is one of the biggest insects alive today. Its body alone can be about 15 centimetres long, as long as a pencil. It lives in the rainforests of one island in Fiji, and it has very strong jaws.
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Fun facts
When it feels threatened, it makes a loud hiss by squeezing air out from under its wing cases.
It is active at night and flies long distances to find a partner and good trees.
Its babies need huge trees at least 80 centimetres thick, and such trees are very rare.
It is rare and endangered, because its forests are being cut down.
In 2001 scientists found that what they thought was one kind of beetle was really two different kinds.
Most asked questions about Giant Fijian longhorn beetle
?How big is the giant Fijian longhorn beetle?
Its body is about 15 centimetres long, not counting its legs and long feelers.
?Is the giant Fijian longhorn beetle dangerous?
It is not venomous, but its strong jaws can pinch hard, so leave it alone.
?Why is the giant Fijian longhorn beetle endangered?
The big old trees it needs are being cut down, and storms and other animals also harm it.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Xixuthrus heros
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Cerambycidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Cerambycidae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Giant Fijian long-horned beetle
Where the facts come from
- Giant Fijian long-horned beetle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by KarlM at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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