Stag Beetles are among the most popular and impressive of a world beetle fauna, there are about 1200 named species, in most cases the larvae feed on dead and rotting wood and may take several years to reach pupation size. The adults mainly feed on nectar, though a few are foliage feeders.
They are notable in that many species exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism with the males being larger and having their mandible greatly enlarged.
They have been observed to use these in fights, and it is assumed that this characteristic has been driven by sexual selection, i.e. the males with the largest horns (actually mandibles) are more successful at finding mates.
