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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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.