Oryctes rhinoceros
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Oryctes rhinoceros, also known as coconut rhinoceros beetle, Asiatic rhinoceros beetle, and coconut palm rhinoceros beetle, is a large species of beetle (typically 4–5 cm long), belonging to the rhinoceros beetles subfamily Dynastinae. Oryctes rhinoceros attacks coconut palms and other palms such as the economically important oil palm. It can cause serious damage to the developing fronds (leaves) up to death of the palm. The beetle breeds in decaying palm trunks or other organic matter like sawdust or compost heaps.
The native distribution of this beetle covers most parts of tropical Asia, from India and the Maldives in the west to countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, most parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and southern China in the east. Through human activity, it has been accidentally introduced into a larger number of tropical islands in the Pacific starting with Samoa where larvae arrived in 1909 with the soil of rubber seedlings from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). From Samoa, the coconut rhinoceros beetle spread to many others parts of the Pacific. Its distribution range also expanded to several islands in the Indian Ocean, in the Western Pacific... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denpasar | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Cebu City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 3 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 4 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 5 | Surabaya | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Surakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 8 | Ho Chi Minh City | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 9 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 145th most-seen of the 376 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May, August–September and November–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle in Chennai on a given day, against under 5% in March, June–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
19th of 25
Of the 25 cities where we can rate Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle sightings, Chennai ranks 19th at about 10%. The best odds are in Denpasar (Indonesia, about 40%), Cebu City (Philippines, about 30%) and Davao City (Philippines, about 30%).
Same family: Scarabaeidae
The closest relatives of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle that you can see in Chennai (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are Protaetia aurichalcea (about 10%), Gymnopleurus miliaris (about 10%) and Indian Flower Chafer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Chennai (17 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
