Megasoma elephas
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The elephant beetle (Megasoma elephas) is a member of the family Scarabaeidae and the subfamily Dynastinae. Elephant beetles are Neotropical rhinoceros beetles. Elephant beetles are black in color and covered with a coat of fine microscopic hairs. The hairs grow particularly thick on the beetle's elytra, and give its body a yellowish color. Males have two horns protruding from the head and another from the prothorax. The longest head horn gives the beetle its common name, since it resembles an elephant’s trunk. Females have no horns. The horns are used for defense, and in competition among males for food and mates.
In size, elephant beetles typically range between 7 and 12 cm (2.75–4.75 in), with the largest male specimen known measuring 13.7 cm, including the horn. Elephant beetles are located in southern Mexico, Central America, and in South American rainforests.
The female elephant... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Elephant Beetle sighting in Panama City on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 109th most-seen of the 131 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Elephant Beetle in Panama City on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–April, the lowest months. Those are among Panama City's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Elephant Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Panama City, in our data
Panama City is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Elephant Beetle sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Scarabaeidae
The closest relatives of the Elephant Beetle that you can see in Panama City (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are Aloeus Ox Beetle (about 10%), Cyclocephala amazona (about 10%) and Coelosis biloba (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Elephant Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Panama City (5 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.
