Relationship between stag beetles and humans
Both children and adults have a fondness for stag beetles. Therefore, they are sold in pet stores and as specimens. Japan is the world's largest stag beetle trading nation. More than 700 species are sold live as pets or as specimens to hobbyists. In the 1960s and 1970s, Taiwan was the largest insect processing and exporting country in the world. Every year, millions or even tens of millions of insects were transformed into specimens or processed products. Stag beetles were among them.
In the 1970s and 1980s, specimens of Lucanus maculifemoratus from different parts of Taiwan were sold, wrapped in cellophane or pages of the commercial telephone directory. In 2009, along with this specimen, tens of thousands of insect specimens were donated to this museum by businesses once involved in this trade, providing a testament to a part of Taiwan's history.
Specimen source: From the collection of the National Museum of Natural Science (donated specimens).
Image source: National Museum of Natural Science
