Dung beetles are nature's poop patrol
- Meghan McMahon
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Most of us go out of our way to avoid piles of animal poop on the ground, but dung beetles are right at home in all that manure. And it's lucky for us that they are because these insects do some important work.
Dung beetles earned their name because they feed on and even live in and lay their eggs in animal waste. As gross as that may seem, their lifestyle is a benefit to us because it helps reduce the amount of animal waste in our environment. They also reduce the population of pesky insects like flies that also like to congregate on poop. Plus they help return nutrients to the soil much more quickly, which improves soil quality.
North America is home to about 75 species of dung beetles, and they also live on every other continent, with the exception of Antarctica. Their size and appearance vary by species. Most are dark colored, but they can be bright shades of green or red. Most are less than 1 inch long.
At home everywhere
Dung beetles can live in just about any type of habitat, from desert to prairie and from forest to farmland. Their only habitat requirement is access to dung, and they are partial to manure from herbivores. That’s because many herbivores, such as cows and elephants, don't digest the plants they eat very well. This means their manure contains a lot of liquid and partially digested grass and plants.
Words to know
Appendage: A projecting part of a living organism.
Burrow: To make a hole or tunnel typically for use as a dwelling.
Congregate: To gather into a crowd or mass.
Carrion: The decaying flesh of dead animals.
Most dung beetles eat from the poop piles where we see them, but others eat carrion, fungi or decaying plant matter. Some have long, straw-like mouthparts that allow them to slurp up liquids. For dung beetles that eat feces, moisture level is important. If it's too dry, they won't get the necessary nutrients from it.
Dung beetles have some unusual features that help them live in and around dung. They have spurs on their back legs that help them roll up small balls of dung from the master pile. They also have strong front legs to dig into piles of poop. Males can also use their front legs to fight off other dung beetles and predators. Plus some have horn-like appendages on their heads and bodies that help them fight.
Finding the dung
So how do they find the dung they need to live and reproduce? Their antennae help them find a perfect pile. Most are skilled flyers, so they may travel several miles to find dung where they can do their business.
Dung beetles use dung in different ways, and this is how scientists classify them. Some form a small amount of dung and roll it into a ball and bury it. These are called rollers. Some tunnel into wet dung and bury part of it underground, so they are called tunnelers. A third group, called dwellers, sit atop the dung.
No matter what they do with the dung, they are doing it for an important reason: to lay eggs and raise their offspring. For rollers, a male will offer a female a small pile of dung. If she likes his offer, the pair will roll the pile to a new spot, with the female riding atop it.
A pair of tunnelers will burrow to the bottom of a dung pile and set up a place for their larvae to stay safe and protected. Dwellers use the top of the dung pile, with females laying eggs on the pile, and the eggs hatching and then growing into adults within it.
Some adult dung beetles take care of their offspring, which is unusual in the insect world. Some female rollers will stay close to their ball of dung for as long as two months to clean the larvae. Tunnelers are even more attentive parents. Male tunnelers will bring feces home to the dung pile while the female will sort out and arrange the dung in their tunnel. Both parents stay with their larvae until they mature.
Sacred creatures
Some ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, revered dung beetles, which they called scarabs. They considered these beetles a symbol of rebirth.
Today, these creatures remain an important part of the ecosystem. They play a key role in how nutrients are broken down and returned to the soil as they burrow into and bury animal waste. These beetles also help rid the environment of waste because they eat dung.
In some areas of Texas, dung beetles bury about 80% of the manure cows leave in their wake! Without the beetles, that poop would litter the landscape, altering plant life and also allowing flies and other insects to take over.