AnimalsWoods
Stag beetle Fun facts for kids
Lucanus cervus
The stag beetle lives in old oak woods and parks in Europe and eats rotting wood when young, then fruit juice.
- Where it lives
- in old oak woods and parks in Europe
- What it eats
- rotting wood when young, then fruit juice
- How big it is
- about as long as your finger
Fun facts about the stag beetle
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
Male stag beetles have giant jaws that look like a deer's antlers, and that is how they got their name.
Males wrestle with their big antler jaws, trying to lift each other up and flip each other over.
Females have small jaws, but they can pinch harder than the males with their giant ones.
Stag beetle grubs can make tiny squeaking sounds by rubbing their legs together.
A stag beetle grub lives for 3 to 7 years before it finally turns into a beetle.
When it flies, a stag beetle holds its body almost standing up and makes a loud buzzing hum.
Grown up stag beetles hardly eat at all, they live on fat they saved up as grubs.
Leaving old logs and stumps in a garden gives stag beetle grubs a place to grow.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I live in old woods, parks and gardens, and I love warm summer evenings.
For years, I was a fat white grub living inside old rotting wood.
When I was little, I could squeak by rubbing my legs together.
When I fly, I hold my body almost standing up and buzz loudly.
I'm a big beetle, and I wrestle with giant jaws that look like a deer's antlers.
Sammy might be thinking of a stag beetle.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the stag beetle in the Woods adventure.
Play the WoodsComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
