They occur in the Nearctic realm and in the Neotropical realm, from the United States to Brazil;[1][2] four North American species (including Mexico), three with distributions extending from Central America either north or south, and two species endemic to South America.

[4] Some hypotheses for why this colour change occurs at all are the ability to blend with surroundings depending on the time of day (black for nighttime and yellow for daytime) to best avoid their main predator, the tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba).

[2] The larval stage of Dynastes hercules will last one to two years, with the larva growing up to 4.5 inches (11 cm) in length and weighing more than 100 g (3.5 oz).

Eastern Hercules beetles, D. tityus, can live six to twenty-three months in captivity with a hibernation period.

[9] Western Hercules beetles, D. grantii, tend to have a shorter adult lifespan in the wild (two to four months), but in captivity they live for about the same amount of time as the eastern species.