May 2023 Bug Box (Sabertooth Longhorn Beetle)

This remarkable beetle is best known for its impressive size and fearsome-looking mandibles; the longest known specimen measured 17.7 cm (almost 7 inches).

Despite its ferocious appearance and name, this beetle is not a predator. Eggs are usually laid under the bark of rotting wood. After hatching, they fall to the ground and burrow into the earth, where they spend the next 10 years as grubs. Adulthood lasts only a few months, during which the "saber teeth” are used for territorial and mating displays.

Like many other species indigenous to South American rainforests, this beetle is threatened by habitat loss and specimen collectors.

• Male pin
• Female-in-flight pin
• Males & females sticker sheet
  
• Male vinyl sticker
• Male iron-on-patch
• Fact magnet
• Life-sized, 6.5-inch iron-on patch

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