The classic dung-rolling beetle of North Africa and the Mediterranean—the one that inspired ancient Egyptian art. It’s sturdy and shiny, usually deep black, with a rounded shell and powerful, shovel-like front legs. When a fresh dung pile appears, the beetle cuts a chunk, shapes it into a neat ball, flips around, and pushes it backward with its hind legs, head down like a tiny bulldozer. That funny posture is smart design: pushing with the back legs gives a better grip and a clear view of the road. The goal isn’t a snack on the spot; it’s to steal the prize away from the crowd to a quiet place where the beetle can bury it.
Family life is simple and clever. A male often rolls the ball while a female follows or rides along. Together they dig a short tunnel, lower the ball, and the female shapes a brood ball—a food-packed nursery with a single egg inside. When the larva hatches, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all ready to go. This tidy habit does more than feed beetle babies. By cutting, rolling, and burying dung, sacred scarabs clean the ground, pull nutrients into the soil, and help keep flies and parasites in check. Their digging also loosens hard earth, so rain can soak in. A busy patch of scarabs can “mow and mulch” a pasture overnight without anyone noticing until the mess is gone.
Navigation is where these beetles look like tiny geniuses. After shaping a ball, a sacred scarab climbs on top and performs a quick “orientation dance,” turning to take a reading of the sky. Then it rolls off in a straight line to escape thieves at the dung pile. They keep that line using the Sun by day and the Moon or skylight patterns at night. Their antennae open like little fans, packed with smell sensors that help them find fresh dung from far away, and those front legs are spiky spades built for carving, packing, and digging.
Distribution
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
France
Greece
Hungary
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Jordan
Libya
Mauritania
Montenegro
Morocco
Pakistan
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Spain
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
UzbekistanAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Coprophagous/ Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
