Dung Beetles: Nature’s Strongest Recyclers

Male dung beetles can pull 1,141 times their own weight.

Dung beetles belong to the scarab beetle family worldwide.

More than 5,000 species belong to the true dung beetle subfamily.

Dung beetles live on every continent except Antarctica’s icy land.

Most dung beetles eat feces from herbivores and omnivores.

Some dung beetles hunt millipedes and ants for their meals.

Dung beetles use a sensitive sense of smell to find dung.

Rollers shape dung balls and roll them in straight lines.

Dung beetles bury dung balls and lay eggs inside them.

Larvae eat dung inside brood balls underground until they grow.

One elephant’s dung can support 2,000,000 dung beetles daily.

African dung beetles navigate by the Milky Way’s night light.

Dung beetles improve soil quality and boost plant growth rates.

Dung beetles recycle waste and enrich ecosystems around the world.