5 Things I love About the Dung Beetle

I do enjoy watching dung beetles. I'm talking about the "rollers".  The ones that roll their little ball of dung in a dead straight line, regardless of any obstacle in their way. In the case of one I watched in Tanzania, the straight path took him (or her) right off the edge of a small cliff. Bygones. Here are 5 things I love about the dung beetle:

1. Dung beetles have a preference for herbivore excrement
2. Dung beetles can roll poop over 50 times their own weight
3. Dung beetles sometimes hitch a ride on a host animal until their dinner is served
4. Adult dung beetles generally feed on wet poop, their young ones munch the dry stuff
5. Dung beetles use the Milky Way as a compass

More fun with animal dung ....

Sources and More About the Dung Beetle:

National Geographic Kids
Dung Beetle - Wikipedia
Khepri, Egyptian God associated with the Scarab Beetle

_{Image © Anouk Zijlma}