It's a Stag Beetle, probably Lucanus capreolus. I haven't seen one of thes since I was a kid.

August 19, 2008

If you poke a male stag beetle in the butt, they keep lifting their pinchers to reach you. Eventually they fall over on their backs if you keep doing it... so I've been told. I would personally never poke a bug in the butt when it has pinchers like that!

August 19, 2008

Pretty thing!

August 19, 2008

You wouldn't expect us New Englanders (and our surrounding neighbors) to have such large, nasty bugs - it's so COLD up here!

But you learn something new every day.

August 20, 2008

FYI, you've linked this post wrong, put an extra "I" i Insects and friends

August 21, 2008

I love stag beetles...as long as their pinchers are far away from me. I always used to see them in and around gardens when I was little. So shiny and magnificent!

August 21, 2008

Norther CA is not safe either! Go out in the tall grass of Vallejo and you'll come across crickets the size of small beagels!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket

September 03, 2008

Vallejo! You're only about 45 minutes from me. I've encountered the Jerusalem Cricket (I call it a potato bug) in Concord and Walnut Creek. Abhorrent creatures.

September 04, 2008

I found one clingging to my screen door in pennsylvania.

July 02, 2009

I live in Northern California and had one of those in my bathroom. It does fall on its back easily, at least in my sink!

June 03, 2010

Just found one on my screen door in WI. creepy...

June 23, 2010

I have found two, one was in my bag when I unpacked it on vacation and the other was found in my home in West Virginia. I hope they aren't invading my home.
Julie

July 02, 2010

ew...there have been two in my yard in southwestern Virginia this month! The largest was a couple of inches with awfully mean looking pincers!

July 27, 2010

me an my mom just found one of these bugs the other day...n we live in columbus ohio

June 27, 2011

I live in northern Indiana my entire life and I've never seen one of these beetles till today. I've seen Four right in a row today. It kind of made me nervous

July 03, 2011

I had one on my screen door in Massachusettes!!!!

July 08, 2011

I Live in Southern Indiana and I just spotted this "Stag Beetle" in the parking lot, at 11PM. Never seen one of these before. Im from Washington State.

July 08, 2011

I live in Rochester, MI and I found one in my kitchen today. Ewww!

May 16, 2012

On a trip to Ft. Meyers Florida, one landed on my wifes shoulder....yea she freaked out...Aaahhhh

May 21, 2012

Thanks for helping me ID this critter. Just tore up the bushs near our house and found a couple inside and wanted to see if it would be dangerous to my kids.

May 29, 2012

I found one on my porch in Tennessee. Gross

June 13, 2012

What I read on them cuz I found one on my door last night the mandible is mostly used for fighting other males to woo the females.....i wouldn't want to test that theory

June 15, 2012

Southern TX. Unless I need new glasses again, I uncovered about 8 of these stags deep in my old mulch pile. They had mud-like nests if that's what you call them, sorta oblong shape. I hope they're ok for the garden cause that's where they all went. I noticed everyone wrote from the north, could mine be different?

June 16, 2012

Just found one...It flew through my garage window and landed in my rose bush!

June 17, 2012

About two inches in length and 3/4 wide with alien like mandable with pinchers. Appleton Wi in my garage. What do they eat?

June 20, 2012

I just saw one last night in KS, quite a sight latched to the door.

June 22, 2012

My daughter came in the house with one crawling up the side of her shirt, those things are HUGE!

June 25, 2012

I think one of these horrible creatures was clinging to my 7 month old puppies lip last night, have been on the Internet trying to identify what kind of animal it is! The things are huge. Don't die easily either. Hoping it's this Beetle and is harmless, just gross.

June 26, 2012

Just found one of these beetles on my kitchen floor.....ahhhhhhh, very intimidating looking!!! I live in North Eastern Pennsylvania..never saw one before.

June 29, 2012

just found one of these in my kitchen....ahhhhh very intimidating...until it tipped over and couldn't get off his back. I live in North Eastern Pennsylvania

June 29, 2012

I live in Morris County New Jersey (northern NJ. Have seen 2 on my property. Pretty maroon color back but one ugly bug! Glad to find out what it is. Left it on it's back and it died. Those pincers are scary!

July 01, 2012

Just found 1 on the patio when I let my dogs out. It was on its back not moving, so I poked it with a twig & it's pinchers went crazy! I've never seen 1 of these things before in my life and I hope I never see another one...so creepy! Thank you for helping me identify it. I live in Chestnut Ridge, NY

July 01, 2012

Live in Marshfield Massachusetts and had one fly into my daughter's friend's hair. They are disgusting looking. I thought they were a June bug but saw the huge pinchers. That sucker went right into the fire pit after we could get it out of her hair. Gross and huge!

July 02, 2012

I've never seen a bug like this before now and i hope to never see another one again. Just had one walking across my living room floor. EWW. Stupid thing wouldn't die. Ugh my skin is crawling now. I live in Quincy, Il.

July 02, 2012

I am a many years naturalist and just saw my first not a specimen, stag beetle in Ohio. Cool. Thanks for helping me id my beetle.

July 05, 2012

So did I.

July 05, 2012

I just found one of these suckers in my 2 yr olds swimming pool. I have never seen one before! But thanks for identifying it! I live in Northwestern PA.

July 08, 2012

I have been invaded and am totally skeeved out. This am "Molly" (Chiuaua)came into house with a 2" stag beetle wrapped around her leg with pincers, pinching! She was hopping around, yelping, and of course I was grossed out. I pulled it off of her, making a ripping sound aghhhhh!!!!! She ok - I'm not. Tonight I went out to check the dog pen and OMG I saw a bunch of them and the holes the were crawling out of. My son caught 2 of them - crawled up his sock. No more puppy playpen for my 2 dogs. I would go nuts trying to get one of these off my long haired Pom.How can I get them to go away??????? I am okay with a bug here and there,
I don't scream everytime I see a bug but this is like mass ugly bug fest taking over. I'm going to have freakin nightmares tonight.
Andover MA

July 15, 2012

One of these was on my porch last night. These things are ferocious. It kept rearing up and trying to fight anything that got near it.

Medford, MA

July 19, 2012

Saw my first stag beetle yesterday in northwest Indiana near Chicago and I'm 27.

May 17, 2013

Raleigh North Carolina. Huge Stag Beetle outside of my fourth floor apartment. Has been posted in front of a storage closet across the way and about twenty feet down the breezeway from me. It has been there for five days now, posted like a guard dog and turning toward anything that passes by it. Kinda cool but definitely a creepy crawly.

June 14, 2013