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African savanna
Dung beetle
Scarabaeus
A stout black beetle that shapes dung into a ball and rolls it away to bury, for food or for its young.
- Size
- About 2 to 4cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Wherever large animals leave their droppings
My spotter's list
Trundles after you, pushing its ball. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the dung beetle
StrengthStronger than it looks
A dung beetle can roll a ball many times its own weight. One species can pull over a thousand times its weight.
StarsSteering by the Milky Way
Dung beetles roll their balls in a straight line at night by using the glow of the Milky Way to steer.
RollingBackwards and head down
In real life the beetle pushes with its back legs, walking backwards with its head near the ground.
SpeedA race for dung
Thousands of beetles can arrive at a fresh elephant dropping within minutes, so a beetle rolls its ball away fast.
NurseryA ball for the baby
The female lays an egg inside a buried ball. The grub hatches surrounded by all the food it needs.
HelpGardeners of the plain
By burying dung, the beetles feed the soil, plant seeds and remove the breeding places of flies.
The real thing
Photos of the dung beetle
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look closely at any fresh dung on a track, especially after rain. You may see beetles shaping balls and rolling them away at surprising speed.
Lend a handHow to help
On safari, drivers steer round dung on the road for this reason. At home, avoiding unnecessary livestock wormers helps Britain's own dung beetles.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
African savanna
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