 Beetles have been around for about 300 million years, and they have adapted to all sorts of environments on Earth. There are more species of beetle than any other type of insect. The Goliath beetle belongs to the scarab beetle family, which all by itself contains more than 30,000 of the hundreds of thousands of beetle species. One of the most important characteristics shared by all beetles is their elytra, a hard exoskeleton covering the wings. The elytra provides protection, and its colours can help disguise the beetle from predators (or warn them off), and help the beetle attract a mate. Some beetles trap moisture on their wings and hold it inside the elytra, allowing them to live in deserts. Others can live underwater because they can trap air under the elytra (insects breathe through holes in the exoskeleton). The Goliath beetle is the largest of all the insects ... not the longest, but the heaviest. The Goliath can be as much as Goliath beetles eat dead plant material and dung (animal feces). Like most beetles, they are an important decomposer in the environment. A hundred million years ago, many beetles were much larger than the Goliath beetle, probably because of the warmer climate all over the Earth during that period.
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