7. Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus)
Stag beetle with large antlers
The stag beetle is black with impressive antlers, which are actually its jaws. Adults can reach 7.5cm in length. © Simon A Eugster (CC BY 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Also called the greater stag beetle, this is the UK's largest beetle. It is rare and found only in certain areas of southern Britain.
Stag beetle larvae spend four to six years feeding on rotting tree stumps and other decaying wood that is in contact with the ground, which is why it is so important to leave fallen timber and stumps.
'This beetle is rare and threatened throughout northern Europe, and the populations in the Thames Valley are some of the largest in the world,' says Max.