June 14, 2007
Stag fight!
It turns out the male Stag Beetle I saw close to my flat recently was no fluke - on a particularly warm and humid night I discovered a laurel bush literally crawling with them, and several males fighting it out on the adjacent pavement.
And the winner is...
This wee chappie wisely decides to run away.
As you can see, some of the males were pretty hefty.
Here's what they're all fighting for. Her mandibles may be smaller, but she's more likely to give you a nip if you get too close...
