Why do dung beetles collect poop?

Contents

Dung Beetles:

  • Dung beetles belong to the kingdom Animalia and phylum Arthropoda.
  • Dung beetles come under the class Insecta and order Coleoptera.
  • Dung beetles are those beetles that feed on the feces.
  • Different species of dung beetles have different color, size, shape and even some characteristic property such as body mass and leg length.
  • Dung beetles are known to live in many habitats such as dessert, savannas, grassland, farmland and even in native or planted forest.
  • Dung beetles are very much affected by environmental cortex, they do not like to live in very dry or very cold temperature.
  • According to studies, dung beetles are found in every continent except of Antarctica.
  • Dung beetle feed on the dung of herbivore and omnivore animals, along with that they can also eat mushrooms, decaying fruit and leaves.

Why do dung beetles collect poop?

  • Dung beetles feed on dung.
  • They do not need to drink or eat anything else, dung provide them with all nutrients.
  • There are three basic type of dung beetles and their way of dealing with dung.
  • The first category involves the dung beetle known as roller. They roll dung into balls which are then used as source of food or breeding chambers.
  • The second category involves the dung beetles known as tunnelers. They bury the dung wherever they find it for future use.
  • The third category belongs to the dung beetle known as dwellers. They are different from both the categories’ as they do not roll out their collected dung nor do they bury it, instead they just live in manure.
  • The most basic reason behind the collection of poop is to find a source of food and to provide the nutrition to their young.

Fun Facts:

  1. The nocturnal African dung beetle is known to find its way and navigate through the milkyway.
  2. Dung beetle find dungs through their sense of smell.
  3. Dung beetles are known to be able to roll the 10 times bigger dung roll than their size.

Related Question:

  1. Write down about some species of dung beetles.
  2. Who are beetles?
  3. What are the external characteristic of dung beetle.

True or False:

  1. Dung beetles belong to the kingdom plantae.
  2. Dung beetle does not collect poop.
  3. Dung beetle are known to just collect the dung for breeding.
  4. Dung beetle only relies on collected dung for their survival.
  5. Dung beetle are found in Asia.

Objective Quiz:

  1. Dung beetle belongs to the ________.
    1. Phylum Arthropoda.
    2. Phylum Annelida.
    3. Phylum Cnidaria.
    4. None of the above.
  2. Dung beetle can eat ______.
    1. Mushroom.
    2. Dung.
    3. Decaying fruit and leaves.
    4. All of the above.
  3. Dung beetle are not found in _______.
    1. Asia.
    2. Antarctica.
    3. Europe.
    4. None of the above.
  4. Dung beetles can be found in ______.
    1. Planted forest.
    2. Farmland.
    3. Dessert.
    4. All of the above.
  5. Dung beetles collect the poop to provide _______.
    1. Food source to their young.
    2. A place for breeding.
    3. Both 1) and 2).
    4. None of the above.

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