It is speculated that this species' Latin name originated from the Greek mythological creature known as the "centaur". Initially, they were thought to belong to the Dynastes family (found in tropical America) due to their similarity in appearance; however, recent studies revealed that these beetles are unrelated to this particular family. This species is native and endemic to tropical Western Africa, so its distribution is limited.

These beetles can grow from 40 to 90 millimetres long, with males usually being larger than females. The head and pronotum extensions are found only on males, as they are using them to fight over females. In real life, their colours usually range from brown to black.

The biology of this species is not well described. Recent studies suggest that these insects are most active during November, especially during the evenings. Larvae feed on decaying wood and leaves, sometimes nibbling on underground parts of plants.

Augosoma centaurus beetles can be quite a menace to local farmers as they can damage crops. Their habitat consists of secondary forests, marshes, and damp areas, especially rotting stumps of raffia palms. Sometimes, their larvae can be found buried in coconut stumps.

Bolbaffer princeps is a species of beetle belonging to the Bolboceratidae family, which can be found in Southern Africa. They were originally misplaced in the Geotrupidae family due to similarities in their appearance and lifestyle. Their name is speculated to be derived from the Latin words "bolb" and "afer", meaning "bulbous shape" and "African", respectively.

This species is sexually dimorphic. Males have sharp, toothy pronotal bumps, which are less pronounced in females. The mandibles of males are slightly larger than those of females. Body length is approximately 20 millimetres long for both sexes. Their bodies sport a light brown or dark brown hue; sometimes, the first pair of wings can be lighter than the rest of the body. This species is quite variable, as their colour and pronotal structures vary between individuals.

Not much is known about the biology and distribution of this species. According to studies, these beetles spend the majority of their lives buried in underground tunnels, only emerging to the surface when humidity levels are increasing or directly after rainfall. Like many beetles, they are creatures of the night, choosing to stay away from direct light sources, yet they do enjoy staying around places with dimmer light.

Copris dracunculus is a species of dung beetle that belongs to the family Scarabeidae. The genus Copris consists of over 250 species distributed worldwide.

Males from this genus sport an impressive rhino-like horn extension on their heads and a few smaller bumps on their pronotum. The frontal part of their heads resembles a flat plate. The body of a Copris beetle has a pore-like texture, while elytra are smooth with ribbing.

These insects spend most of their time buried in underground tunnels. They are known to collect nutritious dung and then roll it to a secluded place where it can be buried. The females lay eggs inside the dung so that their larvae can feed right after hatching.

Recent studies prove that these beetles, as well as other insects, can use their sight to refer to the position of the Milky Way to ensure they are not moving in circles whilst rolling dung, thanks to their inborn ability to see polarized light patterns that are generated by celestial bodies.

Oh, and they can fly, too. You wouldn't think they would walk on the ground while looking for a nice piece of dung, would you?

The Colophon genus is classified under the Lucanidae family and consists of over seventeen described species of beetles, all of which are endemic to South Africa. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek word "kolophon", which translates into "summit" or "peak", excellently describing their habitat.

Males are bigger than females and have large mandibles which they use for combat in rivalry for females by flipping their opponents onto their backs. On the other hand, females are smaller (up to 22 mm long) and have tiny mandibles.

The larvae diet consists of roots of the Restioniaceae plant family. Adult beetles are incapable of flight, which makes them vulnerable to frequent fires and climate change in their natural habitat. They inhabit high-altitude mountainous areas of the Cape Floristic Region, also known as Fynbos. This habitat is situated from 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level and is a gigantic biodiversity hotspot due to its peculiar environment.

These beetles are critically endangered and thus were listed in CITES under Appendix II, being banned from all profit involving this species to prevent them from being snooped by collectors. Unfortunately, this further increased their price on the black market.

These adorable giants belong to the scarab beetle family and consist of six tropical species as well as a multitude of described subspecies and colouristic variants. They are favoured by collectors and pet beetle lovers, and also bring a little "wow" to animal exhibitions.

Goliathus goliatus beetles are one of the biggest scarab beetles on Earth. Males are known to grow up to 12 cm long, while females can grow up to 10 cm. Despite their size, they are capable of flight, although it is not a pleasant experience for human ears. Males possess a Y-shaped horn-like structure on their heads. The pronotum of this species is usually black with white vertical stripes, while the forewings can be white or dark.

They feed on tree liquids such as sap, but also have a sweet tooth for ripe fruit (especially marula trees). Their offspring can be two times heavier than their parents and take up to 8 months to fully develop into a pupa. Later, metamorphosis occurs after around 10 weeks.

Their habitat consists of equatorial forests and sub-equatorial savannahs. Their area of distribution covers Middle Africa.

One may wonder how these insects received their stinky name. It is no surprise that they are commonly called the "stink bug" as, once threatened, they can secrete an odorous smell to deter potential predators from treating them as a snack. You could say they stink their way up to the beetleboards.

Some prefer to call them "shield bugs" instead, as their morphology resembles a shield. These hemipterans sport piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on flora or other animals of a similar or smaller size, depending on the species.

Currently, this species is being reevaluated by various studies to properly distinguish separate species from the cluster of similar species previously described as the Basicryptus costalis (or synonymously, Edessa costalis) species.

This spooky fellow is also known as the red-eyed assassin bug. It hails from central Africa, where it can be found inhabiting grasslands, scrublands and forest areas. This insect is a Hemipteran (true bug) from the family Reduviidae.

Bodies of these predators can reach about 4 centimetres in length. Red rings on their legs and two red spots on their wings adorn their black bodies. They also have big, crimson-red compound eyes, as well as a smaller pair of simple eyes between them, that help them sense light intensity changes. The body part between the top part of their wings, called "scutellum", has three spikes that lean inwards, giving it an extra spiky appearance.

These insects are excellent predators. To hunt down other insects, they pierce their bodies with a sharp beak, then dissolve the prey's insides with their saliva, digesting their tissues into a fluid. The fluid is sucked by the bug afterwards, leaving only an empty exoskeleton.

Insects from this genus are sometimes kept as pets due to their impressive appearance. Moreover, farmers use them to control pest populations on coconut plantations. It is best not to touch these guys as they can serve very painful bites.