Stag beetle??

Question

I was wondering if anyone had information of stag beetles. I was in northeastern PA yesterday and I saw one. I poked it and it stood straight up...is this self defense....are they harmless?

Answer 1

They are quite interesting. Yes he was taking a defensive posture. Most are harmless, but they can bite.They eat rotting debris, usually trees.

Answer 2

Some are harmless. However, most will bite you and some of the larger ones can draw blood if you irritate them enough.But the usual thing to do is just stand straight up to appear larger, if thta does not work i think the one you are describing would run.