Tarandus stag beetle Coloring Pages

The Black Diamond! Tarandus stag beetle!

The Tarandus stag beetle is super shiny! It looks like a fancy car or a shiny piano. It is totally different from the stag beetles you usually see in Japan! Its pitch-black body is so cool you cannot stop looking at it. Bug fans around the world love it and call it the "Black Diamond."

• It feels very smooth when you touch it. Its body is like a mirror that bounces light right back.

• It has the shiny-est body of all the stag beetle friends!

It came from the deep jungles of Africa!

This beetle is a rare visitor from faraway countries. It does not live in Japan.

• It lives in warm, shady jungles in African countries like the Congo and Cameroon.

• Its home is deep in forests with tall trees. Sunlight almost never reaches the ground there all year long.

Is its cool name from a reindeer?!

The name Tarandus stag beetle has a secret from a famous animal! In English, we call it the Tarandus stag beetle.

• Its name comes from an old word that means "reindeer."

• The male has big jaws on its head. They look just like the cool antlers of reindeer that live in cold places!

As big as a smartphone screen! Huge and powerful!

The Tarandus stag beetle grows to be the biggest among all its shiny stag beetle friends.

• Big males can grow over 9 centimeters (90 millimeters) long! That is a world-record size!

• That is about as long as your parent's smartphone screen. It is super big and full of power!

Everyone gets surprised! A round, sturdy body

Small Japanese stag beetles are flat, but the Tarandus stag beetle has a very thick body.

• Its back and chest stick out, round and plump, just like a rugby ball!

• Because its body is so big and tough, it is totally okay even if it bumps into other strong bugs.

It shakes like a smartphone when it gets mad?!

The Tarandus stag beetle has an amazing power that no other stag beetle has!

• When it sees an enemy or gets angry, its whole body shakes super fast, just like a vibrating smartphone!

• It makes a buzz-buzz sound and shakes to scare away enemies. What a cool habit!

Cool jaws like reindeer antlers

Male beetles have strong jaws to grab their prey tight.

• The jaws reach straight out first, and then curve inward at the tips.

• You can tell it is a Tarandus stag beetle by the two big, sharp bumps on its jaws—one near the head and one near the tip!

The females are shiny like mirrors, too!

Most female stag beetles are dull brown or black, but the female Tarandus stag beetle is different.

• Just like the male, its whole body shines like shiny black paint.

• It is smaller and rounder than the male. It glimmers like a smooth pebble, so even girls who like bugs think it is super cute!

Strong legs that grip tree bark tight

It has strong legs so it will never fall, even during wild jungle storms or big battles high up in the trees.

• Its legs have lots of sharp spikes, and there are sharp hooked claws at the very ends.

• By digging these claws deep into tree bark, it can hold on tight, just like it was glued on!

It loves white mushroom homes!

Tarandus stag beetle babies (grubs) grow up in a special place, not in regular soil.

• They love inside rotten wood where white mushrooms like turkey tail or reishi grow.

• By munching on healthy wood full of mushroom goodness, they can transform into big, shiny adults!

How to Choose Colors: Make the Shiny Black Body Sparkle

To make your Tarandus stag beetle look cool and real, the main trick is showing off its shiny black body that reflects like a mirror. For the main body color, grab a deep black or the darkest dark brown you have.

• Highlights for Extra Shine: If you color the whole thing black with crayons or colored pencils, you will lose its round shape. Here is the secret trick! Leave small white circles of paper uncolored on the bumpy centers of its back and thorax.

• Show the Light Reflections: Doing this makes the hard shell look super shiny, just like the smooth surface of a grand piano!

• Sharp Eyes: Color the tiny eyes on the sides of its head dark gray or dark blue. This gives it the sharp look of a king watching over the night jungle!

How to Add Shadows for a Round, 3D Look

The Tarandus stag beetle has a round, chubby body like a rugby ball. You can make it look strong and 3D by using the lines and gaps on its body. After you color the main black part, find the spots you want to make even darker.

• Where the Shadows Go: Dark spots belong in the shadow under the big jaws, the grooves between the head and body, and around the tops of the big, strong legs.

• Layering Dark Black: Sharpen your pencil and add a strong layer of deep black over these shadow spots. This easy step shows off its hard, round armor, making your coloring page look like it might start buzzing right off the page!

Tips for Coloring Tree Bark and Background Leaves

When you color a picture of a beetle climbing a tree, coloring the nature around it with bright colors makes the black beetle stand out even more. Use your favorite plant colors to build a cool jungle scene!

• Lots of Background Leaves: Here is a pro tip: do not make all the leaves the same green! Color the leaves in front with bright yellow-green, and the leaves in the back with deep dark green or blue-green.

• Bumpy Tree Trunk: For the tree trunk in the middle, try layering brown, tan, and gray with strokes going side to side and up and down. Nice greens and browns in the background will make the black shape of your Tarandus stag beetle pop right out at you!

Tips for Colored Pencils, Crayons, and Art Supplies!

Using your art tools in clever ways helps you show the difference between the hard beetle and the soft leaves. Use your tools with full power!

• Colored Pencil Layering Trick: Color a light layer of dark blue or purple right over the black. This gives it a cool metallic shine like it is glowing in the tropical sun!

• Crayon Smudging Trick: When using crayons, press down to color it dark, then gently rub the shiny spots with your finger to blend it. Be careful not to mess up your clothes, and enjoy making it look smooth!

• Sharp Claws: Trace the sharp claws on its feet and the bumpy jaws with a sharp black pencil to make its cool weapons look extra fierce!

Use Free Ideas to Make Your Own Unique Beetle!

There are no set rules in coloring, so your beetle does not have to be black like in real life! The most important thing is to use your favorite colors and bring your dream beetle to life. Use your own style to create an amazing piece of art!

• Express Yourself Freely! Making a Shiny Gold Tarandus or a Fire Red Tarandus are super fun ideas to try!

• Draw the Sky Too: Try drawing a warm tropical sun or a bright yellow night moon in the empty space around your picture. Coloring with your own fun ideas will make your art come alive even more! Create a cool jungle stage for the ultimate king of beetles!

So Shiny It Looks Lacquered! The "Jet-Black Diamond"

The Tarandus stag beetle lives in Africa and is the biggest stag beetle in Africa! Its main feature is its body. It is wrapped in a super shiny polish, just like smooth lacquer coating. Because it has this beautiful black shine, bug fans love it a lot!

It Shakes When Angry?! Magic "Vibrations"

When this beetle gets angry or excited, it does something very special. It shakes its whole body fiercely, just like a smartphone on vibrate mode! It rubs its head and chest together to make a "bzz-bzz-bzz" mysterious sound to scare off enemies.

Super Strong Jaws That Beat Big Stag Beetles!

The male has bent, "V-shaped" big jaws that are wide and super sturdy. People say its pinching power is even stronger than big, fierce flat-headed stag beetles! In a battle, it swings its big jaws and fights hard without stepping back at all.

Is Its Name Secret Came from a "Reindeer"?

The cool name "Tarandus" comes from a word that means the "Reindeer" star pattern in the night sky! People say it got this name because the points inside the male's big jaws stick up and split in two, looking just like grand reindeer antlers.