- "Whoa! I caught a giant stag! Small world, isn't it?"
The Giant Stag, Dorcus hopei binodulosus, is a rare bug found on trees betweem 11pm and 8am, between the months of July and August. It can be sold for 10,000 Bells.
Museum[]
An information board in the bug exhibit will provide information about this bug.
"Giant stags are huge stag beetles with one tooth in each side of their large jaws. They're very territorial but careful at the same time, so they usually hide in holes in trees. They have a long life span. Records show that some have lived up to five years. They're very popular among collectors as pets, so they commonly fetch a high price."
In real life[]
The largest stag beetles are in Japan, where they are highly prized. Oo-kuwagata as they are called there, (Oo meaning giant; hence the translation "giant beetle") is a very expensive beetle often alternatively named the "Black Diamond" or Dorcus Beetle. Adults live for about three years and like the Saw Stag Beetle are nocturnal and attracted to light sources.
They once fetched prices as high as 300,000 yen, but since the year 2000 they have dropped to around 9,000. Their value is reflected in Animal Crossing at the price of 10,000 Bells. Their status as endangered is very relevant to excessive capture of the beetles for collections, rearing or trading, however their numbers are on a steady rise.
With Dorcus curvidens and binodulosus, the Giant Beetle continues to pose an uncertain taxonmic placement. Originally the three were one species (under D. hopei) but they were recently split into three. The future placement remains to be seen.