Darwin's Beetles Wrestle Their Way to the Top: LIFE Big Pic
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April 9, 2010 -- These beetles may look small, but they're not the type to back down from a fight.
High up in the trees above the rainforests in Chile, two Darwin's beetles (Chiasognathus granti), seen here "locking horns," each use their six legs, two impressive mandibles and brute strength to wrestle the other off the tree limb. Using a suplex here and a body slam there, one male Darwin beetle will inevitably out-muscle and outmatch the other.
Male Darwin's beetles just can't say no to a challenger. If one male approaches another during his search for a female, the two are bound to mix things up.
WATCH: A Darwin's beetle fights rival males, tossing them to the forest below with his immense jaws.
The loser of the fight will fall to the forest floor -- but survive -- and walk away in defeat. His hard exoskeleton will protect him from even the longest falls even though his pride might be damaged.
The winner will continue on his quest for the ultimate prize, a scenic view from the treetops and the chance to mate with a female Darwin's beetle. However, there are other challenges and other tree limbs to be conquered.
When the male finally comes to the end of his quest, the female may not be exactly interested in her champion. That means the male may have to wrestle one final match. As he did with all of her potential suitors, the male will toss her onto the forest floor after they've mated, where she will lay the newly fertilized eggs for a whole new generation of little wrestlers.
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Image credit: Discovery Channel/BBC © Rupert Barrington
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