Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle

Xyloryctes jamaicensis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae

Also called: Rhinoceros Beetle, Unicorn Beetle

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle
Photo: skitterbug, CC BY

The Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle occurs in North America. All known records place it within this region.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It is found in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It lives in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle photo 3
Photo: Nick Tobler (Cowturtle), CC BY
Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle photo 4
Photo: unknown, CC0
Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle photo 5
Photo: skitterbug, CC BY
Eastern Rhinoceros Beetle photo 6
Photo: Cole Shoemaker, CC BY

Same family (Scarabaeidae)

Japanese BeetleJapanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or cropsCommon Green June BeetleCommon Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or cropsPhyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or cropsEuropean Rose ChaferEuropean Rose ChaferCetonia aurataMediterranean Spotted ChaferMediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or cropsOriental BeetleOriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xyloryctes_jamaicensis

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.