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Post by dynastinae on Feb 4, 2014 8:08:56 GMT -8
The Japanese have just raised the first captive-bred Dynastes hercules over 170 mm.
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Post by lucanidae25 on Feb 4, 2014 18:55:42 GMT -8
This will only happened in japan and no where else in this world where you will find national news on Dynastes hercules.
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Post by dynastinae on Feb 5, 2014 17:49:09 GMT -8
Measurement confirmation
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 6, 2014 7:38:45 GMT -8
Wow! That is huge. I wonder what the biggest wild male would measure up to. What lucanidae25 said about a beetle making National news in Japan is so true, because beetle breeding is so popular there. I wonder how the breeder got one so large? Did he feed it some kind of special diet during the larval stage? The news reporters probably covered this but I don't speak Japanese, so I wouldn't know.
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Post by wingedwishes on Feb 7, 2014 4:47:01 GMT -8
Good diet, good animal husbandry, or selective breeding aka Gregor Mendel?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2014 23:10:41 GMT -8
I believe the biggest wild male is 173 mm and was up for sale for something like $25,000, I can't remember the exact figure.
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Post by dynastinae on Apr 18, 2017 8:40:10 GMT -8
Japan just raised a 181 mm Dynastes hercules hercules.
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Post by tv on Apr 20, 2017 19:29:15 GMT -8
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Post by panacanthus on Apr 21, 2017 22:08:06 GMT -8
The horn does not look natural. I have to wonder if it was manipulated somehow before it hardened. Straightening a curved horn can add some length, and that even looks stretched since it gets smaller in diameter and then larger. I don't know if stretching is possible but it sure looks that way, and straightening is definitely possible. This is regarding the 181mm specimen.
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Post by tv on Apr 22, 2017 10:00:23 GMT -8
Yeah I thought it looked a bit weird as well.
Still a huge specimen...
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goat
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Post by goat on Dec 6, 2018 7:41:29 GMT -8
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Post by exoticimports on Dec 6, 2018 8:56:19 GMT -8
I'd like to think that selective breeding will result in one the size of a suitcase that will sit on your lap and threaten intruders. More likely though we'll wind up with glow-in-the-dark striped pink with six horns, like the aquarium hobby.
Chuck
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Post by 58chevy on Dec 6, 2018 9:45:00 GMT -8
I've heard that giant cockroaches have been raised in controlled experiments where the oxygen levels are higher than atmospheric oxygen is today. The experiment tested the hypothesis that higher levels of oxygen in prehistoric times was a contributing factor in allowing insects (such as dragonflies) to grow to enormous sizes. Does anybody know whether anybody has raised beetles or leps in a higher-than-normal oxygen environment? It seems like the Japanese would jump on this.
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Post by Paul K on Dec 6, 2018 9:53:25 GMT -8
I don’t think one can rear insect in higher oxygen level to achieve larger size. They would simply get poisoned. It needs millions of years of adaptation, oxygen level didn’t drop from one day to another.
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Post by 58chevy on Dec 7, 2018 8:15:09 GMT -8
Paul K,
The experiment was done recently. The high oxygen level didn't kill the bugs. It simply made them larger.
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poisonarrow
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Post by poisonarrow on Dec 7, 2018 9:50:14 GMT -8
Which makes sense, as oxygen seems to be the limiting factor thanks to the respiratory system insects possess. That said, with beetles that take a long time to develop, the trick usually lies in high quality substrate, and cool temperatures to prolong the larval development. Plus, it is essential to keep conditions constant. This makes for 150mm plus Hercules without much extra effort:
Thad said, it’s also a numbers game, and the Japanese are breeding many to achieve giants.
Cheers
Ben
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goat
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Post by goat on Dec 30, 2018 1:38:50 GMT -8
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rique
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Post by rique on Aug 31, 2019 10:55:30 GMT -8
Which makes sense, as oxygen seems to be the limiting factor thanks to the respiratory system insects possess. That said, with beetles that take a long time to develop, the trick usually lies in high quality substrate, and cool temperatures to prolong the larval development. Plus, it is essential to keep conditions constant. This makes for 150mm plus Hercules without much extra effort: Thad said, it’s also a numbers game, and the Japanese are breeding many to achieve giants. Cheers Ben Thank you for this gem of knowledge. I realized that temperatures were kept constant by Japanese breeders, but I wasn’t aware that high quality substrate was not enough. That major adults developed as a result of cooler temps prolonging development. |
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Post by bichos on Nov 2, 2019 14:50:41 GMT -8
I guess oxygen is more available at cooler temps. I think that's what it could come down to perhaps 🤔
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poisonarrow
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Post by poisonarrow on Nov 29, 2019 11:43:40 GMT -8
Could be. But I think they also take longer to develop while their intestinal flora thrives and this his they are able to get more nutrients out of their food. Also it should be mentioned that these are line bred and the breeders of the giants often rear hundreds, a few of which result in huge specimen. If I rear 50 stag beetles of one species on good substrates I do get mostly average sized beetles, but a few males take longer and turn into bigger ones. If I would only breed those, the offspring also is bigger. Mecynorhina torquata ugandensis has been bred for many generations and even under suboptimal conditions you get quite large beetles now. So, it’s line breeding for sure, as well as optimal conditions which creates these giants. That said a giant line can still breed tiny individuals if conditions are not good. Warm temps and dynastes turn tiny.
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