Friday 7 August 2015

Creature 311: Chiasognathus grantii

A strong jawline

Chiasognathus grantii is a beetle commonly called the Chilean stag beetle.

The males use their jaws to fight during mating season and their jaws are ready for the job. During combat they lift their opponent and throw them. As they search for mates on top of large trees this can be a huge setback for the male beetles. The females don't need the huge mandibles so they don't have them.


Distribution:
Chiasognathus grantii is found in the Patagonian region of Argentina and Chile.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lucanidae
Genus: Chiasognathus
Species: Chiasognathus grantii

Image Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiasognathus_grantii
http://museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/Guide/Scarabaeoidea/Lucanidae/LUC/CHIA/grantii.html

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