Do you know that the price of one insect can be up to Rs 75 lakh? Yes, there is such an insect in the world whose price is equal to the price of a luxury car. The name of this insect is ‘stag beetle’. Stag beetle is expensive because it is quite rare and it is considered a lucky charm. Some people think that owning a Stag Beetle can make you rich overnight.
A recent study in the journal Scientific Data says these insects “represent an important saproxylic assemblage in forest ecosystems and are known for their enlarged jaws and male polymorphism.”
Life span
According to the Natural History Museum in London, these insects weigh between 2-6 grams and their average lifespan is 3-7 years. While males are 35–75 mm long, females are 30–50 mm long. They are also used for medicinal purposes.
Stag beetles take their name from the distinctive jaws found on the males, which resemble the antlers of a deer. Male stag beetles use their distinctive, horn-like jaws to fight each other for the opportunity to mate with females during the breeding season.
Where can they be found?
Stag beetles thrive in hot, tropical environments and are sensitive to cold temperatures. They naturally live in woodlands, but can also be found in hedgerows, traditional orchards and in urban areas such as parks and gardens, where dead wood is abundant.
What do they eat?
Adult stag beetles feed primarily on sweet liquids such as tree sap and the sap of rotten fruits. They depend mainly on energy reserves accumulated during their larval stage, which sustains them throughout their adult lives.
Stag beetle larvae feed on dead wood, using their sharp jaws to extract splinters from the fibrous surface. Since they only eat dead wood, stag beetles pose no threat to living trees or shrubs, making them harmless to healthy vegetation.
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