Michael English
Cape Town, South Africa
The Lords of Dung
Growing up in the Bush in Zimbabwe, I spent my holidays out in the bush in places like Mana Pools National Park. This is one of the few parks in the world where you can walk in Big Five Country - unguided. My father and uncle were both Game Rangers and we’d often take our morning walk out in the park among the wildlife.
I thought nothing of following the faint lily pad impressions of Elephants. Partly the thrill was hoping to spot these gentle giants; but more importantly I was looking for great piles of Elephant Dung. Hey, get your mind out the gutter! I was looking for the Elephant Dung as that was where I’d find my quarry - Beetles. I was fascinated by the large black Dung Beetles. I loved them almost as much as my beloved Tok Tokkie Beetles, which are known for their knocking tap dancing.
Dung Beetles Makuleke Camp Ecotraining SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
What are Dung Beetles?
You may have seen a member of the Dung Beetle family without realising it. There are thousands of species of Dung Beetles belonging to the group Scarabaeidae. They make up 10% of all Beetle species on Earth, with over 30,000 species and 780 of these occur in South Africa alone.
The Beetles range in size from 0,08 inches to over 6 inches in length. Most are black but they also come in a range of fabulous colours. Many people associate the Dung Beetle with a large black beetle rolling balls of dung away to bury as food for their larvae. But, this is only one type of Dung Beetle.
Dung Beetles are reputed to be the strongest insects in the world, able to pull/push up to 1,141 times their body weight. This is the equivalent of an average person pulling six double-decker buses -full of people.
Hard at Work Dung Beetles EcoTraining SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Types of Dung Beetle
Dung Beetles can be broken down into four distinct groups based on their behaviour – the stayers, burrowers, the rollers and the thieves. The word Endocoprids describes Dung Beetles, who lay their eggs in a fresh pile of dung and stay there.
The next type is called Paracoprids. These Beetles dig down below a pile of dung and create a burrow with their food source (the dung) above.
Telecoprids are the most famous of the Dung Beetles, who roll balls of dung away and bury them elsewhere.
The final type of Dung Beetles is the and Kleptocoprids who, as the name suggests, have group case of Kleptomania. By strength and guile these Beetle steal the balls from the hardworking Telecoprids.
Dung Beetles Pushing and Rolling Elephant Sanctuary SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
The Role of Dung Beetles in Ecosystems
Dung Beetles occur on every continent on Earth except Antarctica (there is not enough dung found there). The Beetles play a vital role in the ecosystems of the World. Dung Beetles along with vultures, scavengers, termites, and other insects form a vital part of nature’s clean-up crew.
They bury the dung and lay their eggs in it. This in turn, becomes a food source for their larvae when they hatch. If you imagine the amount of dung produced by the great herds of the plains of East Africa, you will see how important they are.
By burying the dung these enterprising Scarabs remove the food source for flies, helping to keep the flies under control. And thus, curbing the spread of infectious diseases.
The Dung Beetles generally bury the dung along with the larvae. This takes the waste underground, In the Earth, nutrients are recycled in the soil, helping to fertilise the savannahs, rejuvenating the vital food source for all the grazers.
Dung Beetles Beginning Work EcoTraining SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Sacred Scarabs
Scarab Beetles were sacred to the ancient Egyptians as a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. It is reputed that this was inspired by the Telecorprids (Dung Deetles who form balls of dung and roll these away to bury with their larvae). This habit was linked in ancient Egypt to the deity Khepri – the god of the rising sun.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the beetles did not have females so the males had to form a ball of to create the egg into which they injected their semen and thereby reproduce. Due to this belief, the Scarab became a symbol for rebirth, resurrection and transformation - even the symbol for life itself. Rather a great honour for the Lords of Poo! They became linked with funeral rites and regeneration and their significance lasted through many Egyptian Dynasties.
Being linked with the Sun is not the only celestial link that Dung Beetles have. Scientists have long known that Dung Beetles use the symmetrical pattern of polarized light from around the Sun to help them navigate. The canny beetles always choose the straightest and most direct route to their burrow as they must fight off competition from other Dung Beetles.
Scientists have also discovered that the species scarabaeus satyrus in South Africa, can in fact navigate by the stars using light from the Milky Way. This is the first instance of this known in nature – Dung Beetles navigating by the stars!
Dung Beetles Beginning Work Closeup EcoTraining SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Dung Beetles in African Folklore
The southern African tribe of the Batonka have a traditional tale about the Dung Beetle. It is said that in the days of the First Man and First Woman the Dung Beetle and the Butterfly were best friends. When the first man and woman came walking in the evening, they always complimented how beautiful butterfly was. The Dung Beetle was jealous and sad. He said to Butterfly “why do they always look at you and never comment on me?”
“They only admire strength and beauty. You have little beauty but perhaps you should become the strongest of the insects” said the Butterfly.
So Dung Beetle went off and spent years doing many challenges to become strong. One day he came home and while visiting with Butterfly, the first man and woman came by. Dung Beetle rolled a huge ball of Elephant Dung many times his size and pushed it along the ground. The first man and woman were very impressed and exclaimed over him instead of the Butterfly.
That is why to this day Dung Beetles roll balls of dung and push them around.
(A summary from When Lion Could Fly: And Other Tales from Africa; by Nick Greaves and Rod Clement)
So next time you are on Safari in Africa, why not escape the confines of the Safari vehicle and go on a bush walk? You can set off in search of the Lords of Dung yourself. Its always interesting to see how skilfully they can sculpt a sphere of poop!
Dung Beetle Elephant Sanctuary SA ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC