
photo: Lucas M. Bustamante-Enríquez

photo: Piotr Naskrecki

photo: Andrés Hernández

photo: Art
Habitat: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Panama; also in South America
Status: No Conservation Concerns
How long does it take for a weevil to grow a beard? That’s the age-old question, isn’t it. If only this Bottlebrush (or bearded weevil) Weevil (Rhinostomus barbirostris) could fill us in!
An interesting aspect of this creature, aside from its unique appearance, is that a proportion of males in each population is smaller than other members of this sex, which makes them resemble females more so than males. This allows them to sneak past the larger males unchallenged and gain access to breeding females. Sneaky, sneaky you bearded weevils!