Stag beetle
Stag beetles are a group of beetles in the family Lucanidae. There are about 1,200 species, ranging in size from small to over 12 cm, though most are around 5 cm. The name comes from the large jaw-like mandibles on males, which look like stag antlers.
A well-known species in Europe is Lucanus cervus, often called the stag beetle. It is the largest land insect in Europe. The word cervus means deer.
Male stag beetles use their big mandibles to wrestle other males over mating sites and sometimes food. They are usually not aggressive toward people. They are slow runners and often fly to move around.
Females are smaller than males and have smaller, though still strong, mandibles. As larvae, stag beetles live in rotting wood for several years, going through three larval stages before they pupate in a small cell made from wood and soil. In larger species, the final larval stage can be as big as a finger.
In England, there was an old superstition calling the stag beetle the "devil's imp," and some people once stoned them to protect crops.
Stag beetles are sometimes kept as pets in parts of Asia, such as South Korea and Japan.
The oldest stag beetle fossils come from the Jurassic period, including Juraesalus found in Inner Mongolia, China. Another ancient group, Litholamprima, is known from the Lower Cretaceous of China.
Male mandibles vary a lot in size among individuals, influenced by genetics and environment.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:32 (CET).