At first glance, one will find a rather strange little insect, with its smallish yet robust armoured body. What many people don’t know, is that dung beetles have an exceptionally vital role to play in the environment. Not only do they serve as a waste removal crew, by burying balls of dung, they help to return the nutrients into the soil, which in turn aids the germination process of seeds that got caught in the dung. They can detect a fresh pile of dung in seconds and can completely remove it within a day. Southern Africa alone hosts a variety of about 780 different species which varies in size.
Did you know?
Dung beetles can be broken down into four distinct groups.
Telecoprids
They are the species 'the rollers' known to roll the dung into balls and bury them elsewhere for later consumption and breeding purposes.
Endocoprids
These little guys are known as 'dwellers', they live and breed inside the dung.
Cleptocoprids
They steal balls of dung from the ‘ball rollers’ to lay their eggs in.
Paracoprids
Also known as the 'tunnellers', they prefer to bury the dung under the original pile of dung to supply food for their larvae.
Did you know?
Dung beetles can be broken down into four distinct groups.
Telecoprids
They are the species 'the rollers' known to roll the dung into balls and bury them elsewhere for later consumption and breeding purposes.
Endocoprids
These little guys are known as 'dwellers', they live and breed inside the dung.
Cleptocoprids
They steal balls of dung from the ‘ball rollers’ to lay their eggs in.
Paracoprids
Also known as the 'tunnellers', they prefer to bury the dung under the original pile of dung to supply food for their larvae.
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