The stag beetle is a globally threatened species, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), and listed as a priority species in the London Biodiversity Action Plan. Its distribution has contracted in the last 40 years, although it is still locally common in a number of hotspots such as the Thames Valley, around north-east Essex and in London.

Appearance and behaviour  Stag beetles are Britain's largest terrestrial (ground-living) beetles, between five and eight centimetres in length. They have large jaws, or mandibles, which are often antler shaped, giving them their common name. The male stag beetle has very large mandibles, the female's are smaller but more powerful. Male stag beetles use their jaws to wrestle each other for favoured mating sites. Stag beetles can also fly!  They live in broad-leaved woodlands, especially oak, but can also be found in parks and gardens. 

Conservation issues  Stag beetle numbers have declined since the 1940's, and their UK distribution has contracted from a large swathe of southern England and Wales. It is believed that the destruction of the beetles' key habitat - dead wood - through the ‘tidying-up’ of woodlands and parks is the prime reason for its decline, although in urban areas the impact of traffic, feet, cats and other predators are all significant.

Wild facts  Stag beetles need dead wood to complete their lifecycle. The eggs are laid underground by logs, or stumps of dead trees, and the larva (or grub) will spend up to seven years inside, slowly growing in size. But as adults they are very short-lived and generally die after mating. Recent surveys suggest that stag beetles are now more restricted to the south-east, and perhaps surprisingly London is nationally significant for the stag beetle populations it supports - Lewisham is proving especially popular with them!  

Where to see them  Stag beetles have recently been recorded in most London boroughs, but they appear to be significantly more common in the south and west of London, in areas such as Beckenham, Dulwich, Lewisham, Wandsworth, and Richmond.

In your patch  Find out if the stag beetle has been spotted in your area with the fantastic WIMBY tool, run by GiGL – Greenspace Information for Greater London.

Spotted  Have you seen a stag beetle in London? Let us know!  Register with GiGL and tell us about the species you’ve spotted in the capital.

Find out more 

London Wildlife Trust’s stag beetle project

The great stag beetle hunt...