A common and often entertaining sighting on game drives the passed few weeks, has been the spherical balls of dung being pushed with purpose and determination by a beetle that appears not only to be doing handstands but also walking backwards!
Like all living creatures, the dung beetles require moisture, air and food, which makes our summer (rainy season) the perfect time to see them. So while out tracking that "Big-5" rhino, stop for a moment at the large pile of dung indication it's possible presence to look for one of the "small-5", the rhino-beetle - one of the many, varied and often colourful dung beetles that are to be found working industriously to create the circular ball of dung.
Dung beetles are able to pick up the scent of fresh dung (their main food source) from a great distance. They fly down wind, going backwards and forwards across the wind until they pick up a scent which once located they will follow upwind directly to the source. It is quite amusing to watch their attempts at landing, which they can't quite seem to master as they 'plop' rather ungainly directly onto or near their target.
They prove much more able on the ground, constructing prefect 'balls' of dung, often much larger than themselves, which they then roll away backwards using their hind legs. This enables them to keep an eye out, so as not to be surprised from the rear by other beetles competing for the dung as well as possible predators. It is quite something to watch 2 beetles battling it out when one tries to steal another's carefully constructed food ball. Once they find a suitably soft spot, the beetle buries its dung a few centimeters underground, and then feeds on it for several days or weeks.
The female dung beetle also uses the dung balls as egg nurseries. She buries a large roll of dung and deposits an egg on top of it. The eggs hatch into white grubs that then live off the dung until they grow into adult beetles able to search for and make their own food balls.
Many of us on our quest for the seemingly more "glamorous" animals tend to overlook the equally important and often equally interesting smaller things on game drives. So… next time, give that pile of dung a little more attention, you never know what it might produce!
Like all living creatures, the dung beetles require moisture, air and food, which makes our summer (rainy season) the perfect time to see them. So while out tracking that "Big-5" rhino, stop for a moment at the large pile of dung indication it's possible presence to look for one of the "small-5", the rhino-beetle - one of the many, varied and often colourful dung beetles that are to be found working industriously to create the circular ball of dung.
Dung beetles are able to pick up the scent of fresh dung (their main food source) from a great distance. They fly down wind, going backwards and forwards across the wind until they pick up a scent which once located they will follow upwind directly to the source. It is quite amusing to watch their attempts at landing, which they can't quite seem to master as they 'plop' rather ungainly directly onto or near their target.
They prove much more able on the ground, constructing prefect 'balls' of dung, often much larger than themselves, which they then roll away backwards using their hind legs. This enables them to keep an eye out, so as not to be surprised from the rear by other beetles competing for the dung as well as possible predators. It is quite something to watch 2 beetles battling it out when one tries to steal another's carefully constructed food ball. Once they find a suitably soft spot, the beetle buries its dung a few centimeters underground, and then feeds on it for several days or weeks.
The female dung beetle also uses the dung balls as egg nurseries. She buries a large roll of dung and deposits an egg on top of it. The eggs hatch into white grubs that then live off the dung until they grow into adult beetles able to search for and make their own food balls.
Many of us on our quest for the seemingly more "glamorous" animals tend to overlook the equally important and often equally interesting smaller things on game drives. So… next time, give that pile of dung a little more attention, you never know what it might produce!
Michelle Swemmer - Field Guide