There are about 7000 species of dung beetle
described world wide of which southern
Dung beetles are astute navigators and can detect fresh dung within seconds, having it fully colonized within minutes and completely removed within a day. Dung beetles can bury more than 1 metric ton of dung per hectare per year. In this regard they are exceptionally important ecologically being responsible for the removal of wastes to under the ground and consequently they destroy the eggs of internal parasites and reduce populations of pest species like flies. They simultaneously return nutrients to the soil and inadvertently facilitate the germination of seeds caught up in the dung they bury.
Ball-rolling dung beetles generally roll balls 50 times heavier than themselves, occasionally up to 80 times. Dung beetles may have preferences for different types of dung. Some species specifically colonise course elephant and rhino dung while others may utilize buffalo, zebra or smaller animals’ dung. Seventy two percent of all dung beetle species prefer herbivore or omnivore dung to carnivore scat.
There are four different groups of dung beetles according to what they do with the dung they collect.
The endocoprids or ‘dwellers’ remain inside the pile of dung, living and breeding in situ.
The paracoprids or ‘tunnellers’ bury dung directly underneath the pile of dung as their larval food supplies.
The telecoprids or ‘rollers’ are the species that roll balls and take the dung away from the original site to be eaten or buried elsewhere effectively reducing competition with the endo- and tele-coprids. The ball is pushed with the beetle’s hindlegs while standing on the forelegs.
The cleptocoprids steal balls from the telecoprids in which to lay their own eggs.
The most conspicuous dung beetles are the telecoprids (ball rollers). They typically roll balls of dung for different purposes.
A pair may roll a ball of dung together to eat. This is called a food ball. The male may roll a ‘nuptial ball’ for a female into a hole in which they will mate and then consume the ball together. The ‘brood ball’ is rolled as a larder for the dung beetle’s larvae. The male will roll the brood ball upon which the female will sit to lay a single egg. This she pats down into the ball with dung giving the finished ball a pear-shaped appearance. The ball is buried and the outer shell hardens to keep the insides moist. The larva, on hatching, will begin to feed on the reserves and thereafter pupates in its underground dung-walled chamber. Up to 60 eggs can be laid per female per season meaning that the male must roll 60 of these brood balls alone.
Adult dung beetles can live for two years or more but they are preyed on by a host of predators including baboons, honey badgers, civets, hornbills, owls and rollers. Robber flies and wasps may catch the smaller species. The larvae of the beetles are primarily dug out of the ground and consumed by honey badgers but civets and mongoose may also do this.
Some dung beetles are flightless due to fused elytra (wing coverings). These populations are extremely endangered as they can’t disperse easily. A particularly healthy population inhabits the
Dung beetles are superbly adapted for their lifestyles. They are large and robust often with a lovely metallic sheen. They have stout front legs which are serrated and able cut through compacted dung. The front tibiae are broad and toothed and together with the flattened head are used for digging and raking together dung and patting it into a ball. The antennae are fanned and club-shaped and probably related to detecting and navigating to dung piles.
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