The tiny, jewel-toned beetle scuttles over flower petals and heads straight for an enormous pile of dung. With surprising dexterity, it rolls the matter into a ball far bigger than itself, dashes for safety, and buries the unconventional treasure into the earth. It may be dirty work. But to a dung beetle, this heavy task is their very reason for existence and what makes them the strongest animal in the world. Some species can even move a thousand times more than their own body weight. This isn’t the only fact that makes them exceptionally unique. While dung beetles are on a roll, they’re looking at the stars.
Dung beetles are the first known insect to navigate using the Milky Way. With special photo receptors in their eyes, they can transport their load in a straight line guided by the light from the galaxy. The beetles themselves are diverse, and can be divided into three types. Rollers hastily make away with their piles, while tunnellers take a secretive stance by hiding the poo in a hole. Then there are the dwellers, who are content to just revel in a smelly heap. For all these creatures, manure is their primary food source and the place where they lay their eggs. And by chowing down on the waste of other animals, they’re doing us good too.
These insects have been important to people for centuries. In ancient Egypt, they were prized as being symbolic of growth and development. By burying dung, these agents of nature fertilise the soil and improve its quality. This also helps reduce flies who could otherwise bring disease to farms. Though they may be little and their duty humble, dung beetles really do make the world go round.
