Dung beetles are extraordinary insects. There are thousands of sub-species, but they all share one feature: they live on dung. And sometimes it is a LOT of dung. Some dung beetles have been observed to bury up to 250 times their own weight worth of dung in one day. Impressive.They play a pivotal role in nature, most definitely.
They are also smart. They are the only known animals to use the Milky Way to orient themselves.
The “rollers” roll dung balls, for either food storage, or as a brooding ball. The eggs are laid into the dung, and buried. I very often see the male rolling a large dung ball, with the female just sitting on top, doing nothing. Charming. Not all males are lazy!
Dung beetles might not be the sort of animals one is interested in, but our guests always love seeing them on our safaris, busy rolling around dung, and cleaning up nature. Everything gets recycled in nature, to the very last amount of energy it might contain, before it goes back to soil and the whole cycle starts all over again. Solar energy is what is fueling the whole system, all the time. It’s worth a thought …
