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Through serendipity or just coincidence, we found this big stag beetle within a day or two of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. It is about 5 inches (~ 12 cm) long including leg span and was found in native forest above the southern Chilean city of Valdivia. Although the big 'horns' look impressive, the animal can't do much with them except threaten and display, as shown in the right image. Besides very sharp gripping claws and strong legs -- which make it very hard to remove from a branch or your hand -- it has no obvious defenses. The species name is Chiasognathus granti and one common name is Grant's stag beetle, but I much prefer the other name: Darwin's beetle. During his famous voyage on HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin encountered this insect in Chile and commented "jaws not so strong as to cause pain to finger." The Chilean name means 'flying deer' -- appropriate, because it has 'antlers' and can fly. |
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