Template:Species-2011-06-2
Species of the month[edit]
Dung (or Sacred) Beetle[edit]
Some facts about this beetle:
Size: 28–32 mm.
Diet: Feces.
Habitat: Dunes and coastal marshes.
Range: North Africa, southern Europe and parts of Asia.
First described: By Carolus Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Anyone knows who's the footballer but also the God of the insect world? Undoubtedly the title goes to Scarabaeus sacer. It rolls dung balls using its scooper-like head and paddle-shaped front legs and transports them to an underground chamber, where they are used to feed the beetle's larvae. It also was sacred like a God among the ancient Egyptians. It is found in many Egyptian paintings and jewelry where the manure ball represents the Earth and the beetle the Sun. This insect can eat more than its own weight in just 24 hours and is considered helpful to humans because it speeds up the process of converting manure to substances usable by other organisms.
(Archived from Template:Species of the week)