Beetle-deer is a real miracle of nature

The diversity of the living world sometimes simply amazes even the most imaginative imagination with bizarre shapes and colors. This is especially noticeable in the case of insects. Not only charming butterflies can boast of unusual in their beauty patterns on their wings. Sometimes even the most creepy at first glance, the creatures are fraught with a peaceable nature and a kind of unique "zest" - for example, a deer beetle. This stag can quite inspire fear because of its size and characteristic processes on the head, thanks to which the insect got its nickname. Let's talk about it in more detail.

This amazing appearance in its appearance is extremely popular. Surely you can easily imagine his image, because he is known to almost everyone. This is the biggest beetle on the territory of modern European states. The length of the body of the giant is about 80 millimeters, and some especially large individuals can grow to 86 mm. Females do not possess such enviable parameters, they are much smaller and more invisible than the "stronger sex". In addition, "girls" can not boast of the most characteristic attribute - horny processes.

Not so long ago, namely in Soviet times, the deer beetle was met quite often. Now the population of these insects has greatly decreased. They even appeared to be listed in the Red Book, which symbolizes the whole deplorable situation. The death of these beautiful creatures is connected, first of all, with the fact that by their original appearance the beetles constantly attracted the attention of collectors. At the same time, they were ruthlessly exterminated not only for the sake of replenishing collections, but also for idle curiosity. In addition, the stag beetle does not tolerate most of the pesticides, which are sprayed generously by plants and trees. Now in the territory of Russia the horns are represented by only 20 species.

In the summer (in the first two months), you may be lucky enough to watch the fights of these massive beetles. Such tournaments deserve to be called chivalrous. In the process of fighting, rivals inflict on each other very perceptible mutilation. Hard chitinous cover can be not only crumpled, but also thoroughly pierced horns. The sound of fights is heard for a few tens of meters, as the blows are very loud. The losing male is forced to vacate the territory, which is immediately automatically occupied by a stronger winner.

Every adult deer beetle can lift its famous scales weight, a hundred times greater than its own weight. Does not this fact lead this insect to the ranks of the most amazing creatures on the planet?

The deer beetle, whose food consists mainly of vegetation, passes through its life a full cycle of transformations. First, the female lays the egg in rotten wood. The newly introduced young larva begins to eat it actively. Thus, deer beetles contribute to the processing of dead wood, cleaning the forest. However, since the man began to interfere mercilessly with nature, insects find it increasingly difficult to find food. By cutting down the forest, we not only deprived ourselves of the shelter of animals and birds, but also significantly reduced the number of deer beetles. That is why they were inscribed on the pages of the Red Book.

An adult deer bug appears only after the larva turns into a pupa. At the same time, she is experiencing an amazing transformation is no longer in the usual wood, but in the ground. In just a month the insect is already fully formed. However, it only gets to light by the beginning of the summer season. Deer beetles are referred to as "long-livers", as compared to other insects spend much more time on earth: five years.