Stag beetle returns to city

The stag beetle lives among rotting wood

One of Britain's largest land living beetles has been found living and breeding in Cardiff - 90 years since the last sighting of the creature in the city.

The discovery of the stag beetles, which can reach seven centimetres in length, has sparked excitement among wildlife groups.

Now people living in the city are being asked to take part in a beetle hunt to confirm any more sightings.

The stag beetle, so called because of the male's huge jaws which looks like stag antlers, is a globally-threatened species and is protected by law.

Its numbers have been in decline in recent years and environmentalists believe that the main reason has been the destruction of its key habitat - dead wood - through the tidying-up of woodlands, parks and gardens.

But cats and magpies also prey on the beetle - which despite is ferocious appearance is harmless.

The beetle is most frequently found in the south east of England.

Rotting wood

They are most likely to be seen on their awkward, buzzing flights on warm summer evenings before dusk.

It is more usual for the male to be seen flying, looking for females to breed with.

They lay their eggs underground, near rotting wood, which the larvae will feed on.

The larvae can take four years to transform into fully grown adults - but once turned into an adult, the beetle will only last the summer.

In a joint initiative with The Countryside Council for Wales, the National Museum of Wales, Gwent Wildlife Trust, the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and the People's Trust for Endangered Species, Cardiff council have launched the Stag beetle Hunt.

People living in Cardiff are being asked to fill out a leaflet to keep a record of anything they see in relation to the stag beetle.

A spokesman for Cardiff council said: "It's really exciting news that the stag beetles are making a comeback after all these years."

For further information about the survey, people are asked to contact Cardiff Council on 02920 873268.