Giraffe weevil

Trachelophorus giraffa

Fascinating Facts

• Male giraffe weevils’ necks are 2-3 times the size of females’, which most likely aid them in nest building and competition.
• Females will roll a leaf up and lay a single egg inside the tube, snipping it off to fall onto the forest floor. The leaf then provides the larva with food in its first days of life.
• Giraffe weevils cannot bite or sting and, therefore, are not dangerous to humans.
• This species was only discovered in 2008, so not a lot is known about them yet!

Habitat/Diet

Giraffe weevils live in forests, spending almost their entire lives on a tree known as the “giraffe beetle tree”. They are herbivorous, feeding on the leaves of that tree.

Status in the Wild

Not yet assessed by IUCN

Range

Endemic to the forests of Madagascar

Location in the Zoo

Invertebrates Zone of the Sculpture Learning Plaza