You hear it before you see it, a heavy whirring, then a thump against the wall, and then there is a beetle the size of a small mango on the tiles looking dazed.
Where you’ll see it
Anywhere with a light on at night in the green season. They come out of the forest in the rains, fly heavily and clumsily, and end up on porches and pool decks across the coast.
What to know
The horn is the male’s and is used for wrestling other males. Neither sex can bite or sting. The body is covered in a fine yellowish down that gives it the velvet look. Adults feed on sap and rotting fruit and live only a few months, after years underground as a grub.
If one lands on the porch, let it be or set it on a tree. It will find its own way off once the light goes out.
