Dung beetle Facts
Dung beetle Facts
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| Interesting Dung beetle Facts: |
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| Dung beetles vary in size. Their length ranges from 0.004 inches to 2.4 inches. |
| Dung beetles have well developed wings and six legs which help them dig tunnels and collect (and roll) the dung. |
| Most dung beetles are dark in color. Some of them have metallic luster or can be even brightly colored. |
| All dung beetles can be divided in three large categories: rollers, tunnellers and dwellers. Rollers search for dung far away from their homes. When they find it, they collect it in the shape of the balls which they roll back to their burrows. Tunnellers search dung and when they find it, they dig a tunnel where they will store it. Dwellers produce dung on their own at their homes. |
| Majority of dung beetles consume dung produced by herbivores. Just small percent of dung beetles search for a fecal matter produced by carnivores or eat something other than dung (such as decaying larvae of some insects or plants). |
| 3.3 pounds of the elephant dung can vanish in two hours when 16 000 dung beetles arrive to the scene to collect piece of dung for itself. |
| One dung beetle can bury dung that is 250 heavier than the beetle itself in one night. |
| Some species of dung beetles lay their eggs in the ball of dung. That way, larvae can start eating the minute they hatch from eggs. |
| Dung beetle can also steal a dung ball from another beetle. If the eggs and larvae are already placed inside the ball, thief will eat all of them. |
| Some dung beetles ride on the animals, whose feces they like to eat, until they are ready to poop. After animal release its feces, beetle jumps down and start to feast. Other dung beetles use their sense of smell to detect the dung they prefer. |
| In some parts of the Texas, dung beetles bury 80 percent of cattle dung. Australia imported 45 different types of dung beetles to remove the cattle dung. |
| Dung beetles are very strong animals. They can carry the weight which is 50 times heavier than their body weight. |
| Dung beetles are solitary creatures which meet with other beetles only during mating season. |
| Female lays eggs inside the dung or in the underground burrows. Dung beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, which means that they need to pass several changes in the body shape before they become completely formed dung beetles. Metamorphosis includes stages called larvae and pupa before adult insect is formed. |
| Average lifespan of dung beetles is 3 to 5 years, depending on the species. |
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