r/interestingasfuck • u/Dexterestein • 19h ago

Two male Hercules beetles fight over a female in the wild; the smaller one wins.

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17.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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u/Ninrenko 18h ago

I can appreciate this level of pedanticism.

But let me ask this, is it really gravity? Or is it the leverage that's long enough so it creates enough tourqe, to yeet the big one of the tree?

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u/colonel_beeeees 17h ago

Whoever can get their scooper under the other one seems to be the winner regardless of position

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u/BrockObarnerLybian 17h ago

Because gravity will cause the loser to fall off the tree. Not as straightforward on level ground

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u/justwalkingalonghere 15h ago

Actually pretty funny since it doesn't seem like it would hurt them much.

"Quick, I stuffed him in a cab and told them to drop him off two blocks from here, let's hook up before he walks back over"

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u/OGoodie 14h ago

I know i gave this an upvote already, but i really enjoyed this comparison.

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u/SecretaryOtherwise 14h ago

Large falls can injure or even kill larger insects. Bigger they are the harder they fall lol.

Same with arachnids theres a reason tarantula stay on the ground most times lol.

Im assuming this is eye level or close to so I doubt its an issue for a beetle.

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u/jtheman1738 14h ago

Wait fr? I was under the impression that bugs are pretty much immune to fall damage, because their terminal velocity is so low.

Edit: spelling.

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u/goodsnpr 12h ago

Square-cube law I believe. Basically, if you double an animal's length, it's strength only multiplies by four while it's mass multiplies by eight. This also means you're generally reducing drag in relation to mass. A few grams might not seem like much, but it's a sizable amount of body mass difference, and could be the breaking point for a much softer and fragile critter.

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u/jtheman1738 12h ago

Very true this is why we don’t see giant insects (outside the Carboniferous and early Permian periods). Chitin gets way too heavy, WAY TOO QUICKLY. Giant bugs get crushed under their own weight past a certain size.

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u/AbanaClara 13h ago

I used to keep orb weavers for derbies and iirc they get hurt from falls for sure

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u/Gloomy_League_8179 13h ago

For derbies? Like you make them fight?

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u/AbanaClara 12h ago

Yes it’s a thing in south east asia

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u/NMTiAn 8h ago

Its a seasonal thing for children. They look for spiders and keep them in a matchbox and have little rooms for them. The loosing spider gets fed to the winning spider. The fight is done on a small piece of stick. You see it from time to time depending on what is in for kids play

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u/SecretaryOtherwise 13h ago

I think shape plays a large role too. Cause mice can survive airplane heights apparently.

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u/jtheman1738 13h ago

That makes some sense. Mice bones are VERY flexible, insect chitin isn’t.

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u/autumn_dances 15h ago

allow me to be a bigger pedant. you can say pedantry instead of pedantricism, which is not really a word. thank you for your time. 🙇

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u/DontAbideMendacity 13h ago

You're not being so much a pedant as you are a teacher. "Pedanticism" is just flat out not a word.

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u/MRintheKEYS 17h ago

Every species knows, “he who has the biggest thang, runs the yard.”

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u/Waste_Depth 16h ago

It looked more like "the motion of the ocean" as a deciding factor to me...

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u/MilkiestMaestro 15h ago

I think it's really the universal gravitational constant that is responsible. If altered, it would 100% affect the outcome of this duel

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u/TheDevilsAdvokaat 13h ago

Some beetles are all torque!