| type | Status | Habitat |
 |
 |
 |
|
ARTHROPOD |
STABLE |
NORTH AMERICA |
 Stag beetles live in woodland edges, hedgerows, traditional orchards, parks and gardens |
 The stag beetle consumes rotting and decaying wood during its larval stage. For the year or two of adulthood, the beetle eats very little food besides perhaps some rotting fruit and sap |
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The male stag beetles' fearsome-looking jaws are actually only used for wrestling other males to win over a female. They aren't designed to 'bite'. It is possible for a female stag beetle to pinch if you were to pick one up, but this is quite unlikely and it's best to leave them be anyway.
They are primarily night dwellers and - like most nocturnal insects - are generally attracted to light sources at night. Despite the large mouth parts, the Stag Beetle lives on a steady diet of sap. Females lay fertilized eggs on dead trees or stumps
The Stag Beetle is largest native ground-dwelling beetle. Adult females can be up to 5cm long and some males may reach 7cm - that's bigger than a fun-sized choccie bar. Believe it or not Stag Beetles can fly. Males will fly out to look for a mate at dusk on humid, thundery evenings between May and August.