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Hercules beetle: The titan insect with giant horns for love and war

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Name: Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules)

Where it lives: Rainforests of Central and South America, plus a few Caribbean islands

What it eats: Rotting wood (as a larva), fruit and tree sap (as an adult)

Why it's awesome: 

Hercules beetles are among the largest flying insects in the world, with males of some subspecies measuring up to 6.8 inches (17.2 centimeters) long. They are also extraordinarily strong and can lift objects hundreds of times their own weight, according to the American Museum of Natural History. 

"The Demigod Hercules was famous for his strength, and the Hercules beetle can burrow its way out of hard ground and can lift surprisingly heavy objects," Max Barclay, curator of beetles, at the Natural History Museum in, London, told Live Science in an email. "It is well-named because you cannot easily contain a Hercules beetle in your hand without it forcing its way out."

Related: Beetles suck water into their butts to stay hydrated, and now scientists know how

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