The best protection they have from predators is their usually large size combined with being nocturnal (activity being at night). During the day, they hide under logs or in vegetation and are invisible from the few predators big enough to want to eat them.

The fearsome appearance of these beetles is increased by the loud hissing squeaks they give when disturbed. The hissing squeak is merely a bluff and is produced by rubbing the abdomen against the ends of the wing covers. If a squeaking beetle is examined closely, the abdomen can be seen moving in time with the squeaks.

In spite of their fierce appearance, they are all totally harmless. They cannot bite or sting or hurt you with their horns. The horn of the male is not used for protection but rather for the occasional battle with another male over a feeding site. The victorious male with the feeding site can then often attract a mate. Female Rhino Beetles have no horns. The females are quite plain and less frequently seen.

Rhinoceros Beetles can fly strongly and are attracted to lights at night. They are generally noticed when they come to house lights or when they are seen lying beneath street lights and on the concrete tarmacs of petrol stations. In Brisbane they are only seen in the summer months, but in the tropical north they can be found at anytime of the year.