The Rhinoceros beetle is known for its unique shapes and large sizes. There are over 300 species of rhinoceros beetles.
The Pua festival is for the Hercules beetle.
The festival includes a variety of exhibitions on the life cycle of beetles, beetle bouts, painting contests, sports and a beetle beauty contest.
The Hercules beetle can lift up to 850 times their own weight! Naturally territorial, males will use their horns (females do not have these horns) to claim their rightful space.
The first first Hercules Beetle Fighting Festival was held in 1996!
The scientific name for the Hercules Beetle is Xylotrupes gideon, & the male has very distinctive characteristics-a horn with a tip split into two parts.
A tradition of the indigenous Lanna people, beetle fighting regularly takes place from September to November - the three-month reproduction period of the creature. The mating season heralds the fighting games, and “war zones” erupt in the forests. The males battle against each another in order to win the favour of the female. The tug-of-war between the two fighters lasts for a few minutes and ends when one combatant surrenders.
“Like other kinds of insects, when it’s time for reproduction, the males battle against one another to get the females. The strongest wins. Those winners have the right to mate with their favoured females.
See also
Purring In Perfect Pua
The last week or so I've had the pleasure of riding R1148 6 times, back and forwards to Pua, north of Nan. There were 3 trips in total The "Magic Mountain - Phu Langka view on R1148 One to Chiang Klang to hook up with Big Bike Tours coming back from their Tibet Ride, where I stayed in Pua for...
www.gt-rider.com
Pua - Fighting Beetle Festival
The annual Pua Fighting Beetle Festival is on 27 September - 3 October 2017. The Rhinoceros beetle is known for its unique shapes and large sizes. There are over 300 species of rhinoceros beetles. The Pua festival is for the Hercules beetle. The festival includes a variety of exhibitions on...
www.gt-rider.com