QUICK FACT: Its mandibles are strong enough to bite a pencil in half.

THREATS: Logging, forest conversion, cyclones, fear-killing when found near lights or houses, and collector trade pressure.

IMPORTANCE: A major dead-wood decomposer, returning nutrients and creating habitat for other species.

Photo credit: Hilda Waqa

QUICK FACT: Its mandibles are strong enough to bite a pencil in half.

THREATS: Logging, forest conversion, cyclones, fear-killing when found near lights or houses, and collector trade pressure.

IMPORTANCE: A major dead-wood decomposer, returning nutrients and creating habitat for other species.

Photo credit: Hilda Waqa