Coming soon: beetle mania?

Cooing softly in baby talk, German Viasus gently uses a toothbrush to bathe the little animal he has raised since infancy and then pampers it with a fresh meal of mango, bananas and melon. The object of his affection? A beetle the size of a hamster with a hard, shiny shell and 2-inch-long horns. Pictured is Viasus of Tunja, Colombia, showing off some of his Hercules beetles, which he exports to Asia for pets. Male Hercules beetles can grow to 7 inches and weigh as much as a hamster. Viasus ships giant, exotic types of the insects by the hundreds each month to Japan and elsewhere. Source: Los Angeles Times (via LA Unleashed)