Stag beetles are easy to recognise as they have a ferocious looking pair of mandibles that look like giant claws. They look black all over but actually have dark brown wing cases and the mandibles can appear red in certain lights. They are Britain's largest ground-dwelling beetle growing up to 7cm in length.
Stag beetles can be found anywhere where there is a good supply of dead wood such as woods, parks and gardens.
The stag beetles use their antler-like mandibles in courtship displays and males wrestle with them during the mating season. Stag beetle larvae live in rotting logs for around four years before pupating and emerging as adults. The adults have a much shorter life than the larvae, only living for a few months.
Detritivore: The stag beetle larvae feed on rotting tree matter. The adults do not feed at all.
The stag beetle is protected by law. There has been a decline in traditional coppicing in recent years. Coppicing created open glades which attracted a rich diversity of species. As these glades decline in numbers so does the diversity of animals, plants and lichens living within the woodland. The change from broadleaved woodland to coniferous woodland has also affected the number and type of species found in the New Forest.