European stag beetle

Lucanus cervus · The European stag beetle is the largest beetle species found in Europe.

Also called Greater stag beetle.

European stag beetle
Photo: Flocci Nivis, CC BY 4.0
European stag beetle
Photo: Reinhold Möller Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0
European stag beetle
Photo: Herwig Winter, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyLucanidae
GenusLucanus
SpeciesLucanus cervus

Where it lives

Old oak woods, parks and gardens from Britain and Spain east to Turkey and Syria.

Fun facts

  • A male's huge mandibles look scary but are too weak to hurt, while the female can actually deliver a painful bite.
  • Males can grow up to 7.5 centimetres long, making them among the biggest beetles in Europe.
  • The larvae are blind, C-shaped grubs that spend years munching on rotting wood underground.
  • Larvae 'chat' with each other by rubbing special combs on their legs together.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).