What's the world's strongest animal? - Ask Scarlett

Ranger Rick, Jan, 1997

I'll bet you're thinking, "Is it an elephant? Tiger? Whale?" Well, think smal- ler--MUCH smaller. Some scientists say it's an insect called the rhinoceros beetle.

You're probably wondering how a little ol' insect can be stronger than any of those big creatures. You have to compare what the insect can do for its size with what a big animal can do for its size. Turns out that the rhinoceros beetle can do a whole lot more.

One scientist did an experiment with these beefy beetles. He discovered that a rhinoceros beetle could easily carry 30 times its weight on its back. The scientist said that would be like a grown man walking a mile (1.6 km) with a pickup truck on his head without getting tired!