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rhinoceros beetle
noun
: any of various large chiefly tropical scarab beetles (subfamily Dynastinae) having projecting horns on thorax and head
Examples of rhinoceros beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The coconut rhinoceros beetle is native to Africa, China, Myanmar, India and Southeast Asia, according to the council.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
The holdup caused a public outcry because the rule changes are intended to help the Agriculture Department stem the movement of commodities infested by pests, including coconut rhinoceros beetles.
—CBS News, 24 Oct. 2024
New England resident captures one on camera Where do the coconut rhinoceros beetles come from?
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Coconut rhinoceros beetles were detected for the first time on islands statewide in subsequent months, while little fire ants caused serious concern on Oahu's windward coast.
—CBS News, 24 Oct. 2024
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.
—Kendall Powell, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2019
The dung beetle’s coronation as the world’s strongest insect steals the thunder from the rhinoceros beetle, which can lift up to 850 times its own weight.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2010
In the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, horns range from a stubby 7 millimeters to a towering 32.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
If the rhinoceros beetle were the size of an actual rhinoceros, its horn could be 16 feet long.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
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Word History
First Known Use
1681, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of rhinoceros beetle was
in 1681
Dictionary Entries Near rhinoceros beetle
Cite this Entry
“Rhinoceros beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhinoceros%20beetle. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on rhinoceros beetle
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rhinoceros beetle
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