Dung Beetle News

By Charlie

Step inside the ball of dung. You will see how the dung beetle lives and what happens.

Amazing Beetle Here he comes like a train.

Using the moon and smell to find his prize, the dung beetle can’t see where he’s going.

Pushing the dung ball upside down going about 754 feet per hour. It is twice its height and many times its weight. It also comes in green, blue and white and 3 to 50 millimeters long.

Dung beetles are also called tumble bugs or by their scientific name:Onthophagus gazella fab cius.

HowLong?

Bibliography Tooth and claw lewin, Ted New York 2003 Bella Online www.bellaonline.com/articles/171 38.asp 4/25/2010 African dung beetle www.itsnature.org/ground/creepycrawliesland/african-dung-beetle/ 4/25/2010 National geographic www.news.nationalgeographic.co m/news/2003/07/0702_030720_du ngbeetle.html 4/25/10

Living up to 3 years, the dung beetle lays an egg on its hole in moist ground on the dung ball. You can see this process in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America. When the larva is born, he will eat the dung ball before emerging into the world hoping there are no birds.

Gross?

Look there he is! I wonder if he’ll eat it right now or later? I wonder if it came from a wildebeest, kudus, hartebeests, elands, gemsboks, lions, leopards, warthogs, brown hyenas, elephants, mongooses, or a bat-eared foxes or a different type of animal.

What!!! He’s not eating it, but sucking the juice! He also eats decaying leaves, fruits and mushrooms.