Stag Beetles

The stag beetle is Europe’s largest beetle – up to 8cm for the males which have the ‘horns’. Despite there fearsome look they are completely harmless. (well, one site tells me that the females can give a bit of a nip if provoked, so best not discuss politics or religion with them). They live as grubs in dead and rotting wood for 5 to 7 years before having a brief beetle summer of flying, fighting, lust and egg laying. Due to a lack of rotting wood they are in serious decline in the UK and are a protected species. I have never seen one but I look at the pictures and I think ok, maybe gods beetle fixations not so strange after all. Very cool.