Dung Beetle

Common Name – Dung Beetle

Distribution – Throughout India

Habit  –

Habitat  –  Farmland, forest, grassland, and desert habitats

Food –

  • Dung beetles feed on dung
  • Few species feast on mushrooms, carrion, decaying leaves and fruits

Specific properties –

  • Bio indicators of ecosystem, sensitive to changes.
  • Decomposers in forest ecosystem
  • Recycle nutrients by breaking down dung into the soil
  • Seed dispersals
  • Increases soil aeration, and reduces parasites
  • Aerates and improves soil by digging tunnels
  • Improving the soil humus by burying dung
  • Help in plant growth

Wonder facts –

  • 7000 dung beetle species documented globally
  • Dung beetles can move dung balls weighing up to 50 times the animal’s own weight.
  • Owls have been seen using animal poop as bait to trap dung beetles for food

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