''Lucanus elaphus'', the giant stag beetle or elephant stag beetle, is a

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

of the family

Lucanidae Stag beetles are a family of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, currently classified in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections ...

native to eastern North America. They are sometimes kept as

pets A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

Etymology

Elaphus in Greek means "deer". Compare with the

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

(''Cervus elaphus''), 'cervus' meaning 'deer' in Latin.

Gallery

Image:Lucanus elaphus variation sjh.jpg, Differences in size of ''Lucanus elaphus'' File:Adult female Lucanus elaphus324.JPG, Adult female ''Lucanus elaphus'', 29 millimeters long File:Giant Stag Beetle - Lucanus elaphus ♂ (47933063087).jpg, Adult male ''Lucanus elaphus'' File:Lucanus elaphus 142395083.jpg, Mandibles of male ''Lucanus elaphus'' File:29mm adult female Lucanus elaphus.JPG, Adult female ''Lucanus elaphus'', 29 millimeters long File:Underside of female Lucanus elaphus crop.jpg, Underside of adult female

References

elaphus Beetles described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Beetles of the United States {{Lucanidae-stub