rhinoceros beetle

noun

1. any of several scarabaeid beetles, especially of the genus Dynastes, which comprises the largest beetles, characterized by one or more horns on the head and prothorax.

rhinoceros beetle

noun

1. any of various scarabaeid beetles having one or more horns on the head, esp Oryctes rhinoceros , a serious pest on coconut plantations

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhinoceros beetle¹

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

The scientists measured various Walliserops specimens’ tridents and compared them with those of living rhinoceros beetles, which have elaborate headgear that males use to battle one another.

From New York Times

Chances are good that you would be startled to find a rhinoceros beetle perched over your bed one night.

From Washington Post

We’d wake up early and catch rhinoceros beetles; we’d kick the tree trunks, making the sleeping insects fall to the ground.

From Los Angeles Times

Weapons also are probably molded by the type of fighting and where it’s done—as borne out by work on the shapes of rhinoceros beetle horns by evolutionary biologist Erin McCullough.

From Scientific American

Instead they are beetles, just like ladybugs and rhinoceros beetles.

From Scientific American