When you look at this Goliath beetle, you are looking at an ecosystem.

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The Goliath beetle, considered widely throughout the scientific community to be the largest insect in the world, is a creature that defies many standard expectations of what a beetle should look and act like in relation to humans. The Goliath beetle is a truly unique creature, with its distinctive markings, imposing size, and ability to lift around 850 times its own body weight. It has found influence in human culture through art, spiritual significance, and its call to the religious legend of David and Goliath.

The ecosystem of understanding built around the Goliath beetle is representative not only of the importance that one individual species can have on a whole collection of ideas around it, but also on a more general principle of how the world works. As the story of David and Goliath shows us, even something as small as a beetle can have immense value, especially in unexpected places. 

By Hannah DalSoglio