New mate for lonely giant beetle

A mate has been found for a lonely giant beetle which was found in a shipment of fruit from the Caribbean.

The male elephant beetle, the size of a hamster, was found in bananas which arrived in London from Costa Rica.

It was taken to Linton Zoo near Cambridge where keepers began an international search to find a mate.

It has now been paired up with a female that was in captivity in Germany. "They are both getting on extremely well," a zoo spokeswoman said.

The elephant beetle, Megasoma elephas, is normally at home in rainforests and is one of the world's largest beetle species.

The males have a set of horns which they use to fight other males.

Kim Simmons, from the zoo, said earlier: "It's a very lucky and tough insect having survived the journey to Britain and the pesticides designed to prevent unwanted creatures entering the country."

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