The dung beetle or beetle is the planet's purifier |our-earth

Description and appearance

The dung beetle, or common dung beetle, is a representative of the genus Geotrupidae of the family of lamellar beetles. The Latin name is formed from two words: “earth” and “drill”. Therefore, the second name of the beetle is shrew.

Interesting fact! The sacred scarab, which was worshiped by the ancient Egyptians, is a representative of another genus of lamellar beetles, namely Scarabaeus. Both shrews and scarabs roll a ball of dung and use it for feeding and reproduction.

Appearance

The types of dung beetles differ little from each other in appearance. The body is oval, smooth. Colors range from brown to purple and black. The abdomen is always dark and pubescent. Young beetles have a matte surface, which over time begins to become glossy and shiny. The antennae are pubescent, consist of 11 segments, ending in a club. The sense of smell is well developed, which helps dung beetles search for piles of excrement at fairly large distances from them.

Hard chitinous elytra can be with or without grooves. Weight no more than 2 g.

Interesting fact! The Casanova dung beetle has a pattern on its dark back that resembles a heart.

The size of dung beetles ranges from 0.5-7 cm. They have 3 pairs of limbs: the front ones look like blades that help rake up dung and roll it into a ball. The front paws are also used in male fights. The middle and hind legs are strong, armed with spurs and adapted for pushing dung balls towards the hole. Some species have a horn on their head.

Prevalence

Hercules belongs to the lamellar family, the genus Duplyaki. These are the largest representatives of the genus (in general, their number is about 300), which “bear” outgrowths on themselves. The beetle's closest relatives are the rhinoceros beetle, the elephant beetle, and the scarab.

Hercules is native to South America. He also lives in Bolivia, Venezuela, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Peru, Central American regions, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Bolivia, Antilles, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Guadeloupe. Favorite places are moist forests of subtropical and tropical zones, where a lot of greenery and fruit grow. But sometimes during wet periods they can be found in lowland and mountain forests. They prefer to live on the forest floor. Larvae live in rotting wood, which also serves as food, while adults prefer to live at the base of trees.

Range and habitats

The historical homeland of the beetle, which rolls a ball of dung, was countries with a hot and humid climate. Now dung beetles are distributed throughout the globe, with the exception of Antarctica.

It is believed that these creatures avoid extreme climatic conditions - heat, drought, frost. However, dung beetles are common in African deserts and in cold parts of Europe. They have adapted to eat the dung of animals in a certain area: African elephants, European bats, Asian monkeys.

Some species extract moisture from the fog, waiting for it to condense into a drop on the head.

African dung beetles have poor vision and navigate in space by the faint glow of the Milky Way.

About 20 species of dung beetles live in Russia.

How do insects overwinter?

Insects spend the cold season in different ways. Some, like birds, fly south. This is what some species of butterflies and dragonflies do, covering significant distances together with birds and rising to incredible heights (over 5 km).

Read also: Nicknames for Instagram: tips for choosing

Others fall into numbness and hibernation. They climb deep into the earth, hide under the roots of plants, under fallen leaves and trees, stop consuming food and lose mobility. Ants overwinter on the lower floors of the anthill, often located at a depth of about 1 meter.

Naturally, not all species overwinter; representatives of many simply do not survive winter: their life is so short that they are not even aware of the cold.

In the spring, the suspended animation into which the surviving insects fell ceases, and butterflies, beetles, and dragonflies are born along with the first rays of the spring sun.

Lifestyle and features

Let's figure out why a beetle needs a dung ball. Manure is vital for insects:

• for nutrition: these creatures feed on semi-decomposed plant debris contained in excrement, therefore they prefer the waste of herbivores and omnivores;
• for reproduction.

With its front legs, the insect makes a small pellet of feces, climbs onto it and begins to “dance” so that the manure compacts and takes the shape of a ball. A ball - coprolite - dung beetles can bury:

• in the same place where it was formed;
• roll back to your hole and feed until the next outing;
• do not bury it at all, but eat it on the spot.

Interesting fact! In one night, the beetle is capable of moving manure that weighs 250 times its own.

In the heat of the day, dung beetles prefer not to stick their heads out of the tunnels. They live alone except for the mating period. They are distinguished by their aggressive disposition - whole battles can unfold for the right to own the ball.

During flight, the beetle's hard wing covers emit a characteristic hum and notify of its approach. In particular, this helps to repel insect enemies.

In flight

Interesting fact! Scientists have discovered that dung beetles use coprolite as a conditioner. During the journey, the beetle periodically stops and climbs onto its ball. He's not just resting. The moisture that evaporates from the depths of the ball helps the insect cool its body in the heat.

What does it eat?

The Egyptians believed that there were scarabs that eat people, they crawl under the skin through the ears, nose and eat a person from the inside.

Interesting!

Science has proven that the carnivorous species of beetles does not exist; the studied species are absolutely safe for people and animals.

Their diet consists of manure, which is what earned them universal love back in ancient times. Dung beetles are capable of processing large amounts of manure within a short time, which remains when keeping domestic animals. Scarabs can also be considered orderlies in the wild. It would take four thousand scarabs just an hour to clear an average pile of dung.

In the middle zone, beetles begin their active life as soon as the air warms up. They purify themselves only during the day until mid-summer, and then switch to a nocturnal lifestyle. For normal existence for 10-14 days, the scarab needs one ball of dung, five times the size of the insect itself. The beetle rolls it into a pre-dug hole near its home and digs it in. This is how a young beetle acts; at a more mature age, the male and female prepare larger amounts of manure for future use. It is with the help of waste of this type that procreation in these insects is possible.

Scarab beetle

In order to prepare food for itself, the scarab rolls a ball of dung, and it does it quite funny:

• the basis is most often a small round piece of feces;
• with the edge of its head, the insect seems to cut off small pieces of manure;
• presses the torn piece into the ball with its front and hind paws;
• the middle pair of paws holds the lump tightly, not letting go until the formation process is completed.

The beetle rolls the finished ball into a safe shelter in a shaded place. On the way, he is very careful, because smaller beetles in larger numbers can take away the prey without any problems. And relatives of the same build will not disdain ready-made food.

Interesting!

Manure not only helps scarabs live, the appearance of offspring also depends on it. The female and male stock up on a sufficient amount of manure, lay it out in their burrows, and then the female lays eggs in specially fashioned capsules. Until the pupal state, they feed on the dung that their parents stored for them.

Nutrition

What the dung beetle eats is clear from its name. Coprophagous insects eat excrement to obtain nutrients from semi-digested remains.

Interesting fact! Some species of dung beetles prefer especially odorous feces of primates - monkeys and humans.

Some beetles prefer not manure at all:

• Some species eat mushrooms and fruits, preferably rotten ones.
• They do not disdain dead flesh, carrion, dead insects and protozoa.
• One species has adapted to living on the back of giant snails. They feed on the mucus of these mollusks.
• Recently, scientists have been interested in the predatory dung beetles that live in Brazil and Peru - Deltochilum valgum. The beetles lie in wait for giant ants and centipedes, behead them, roll the carcass into a hole and eat it there.

Interesting fact! Up to 16 thousand dung beetles can fly to a pile of elephant dung weighing 1.5 kg.

What do amulets with a scarab mean in our time?

At all times, people believed in the miraculous power of various amulets that brought good luck, wealth, and happiness. Egyptian talismans among them, due to their ancient origin, are considered the most powerful.

The scarab beetle mascot is one of the most revered, and it is what is offered to tourists as a souvenir. Initially, amulets were made from stones, both precious and ornamental. Green granite, marble, basalt or ceramics were used, which, after drying, were covered with green or blue azure. Now tourists are offered metal amulets decorated with stones.

Before buying a talisman with the image of a scarab beetle, you should find out its meaning. The little thing helps its owner gain self-confidence, achieve desires and achieve their goals. First of all, this concerns work and creative activity. Since the scarab is a symbol of life, it is believed that it preserves youth and brings beauty to women. With its help, the strong half of humanity should gain stable income and a high position in society. Students take the talisman with them to exams, and in the house the symbol of the sacred beetle can provide protection from thieves, fires and other troubles.

It is believed that gifted amulets have greater power, but handling the amulet should be respectful and careful. A careless attitude towards magical objects and foreign culture and mythology can be dangerous for a person.

Reproduction and lifespan

Dung beetles live up to 2-3 years and, like other Coleoptera, are insects with complete metamorphosis.

The male lures the female by releasing a stream of an odorous substance - a pheromone, urging her to mate. Usually, the gentleman brings the lady a gift - a ball of manure. The female digs a hole up to 60 cm deep with a slight widening at the end. A brood ball of dung is placed in this chamber, into which the female lays one fertilized egg. Dung beetles do not care for their offspring.

The insect has 4 stages of development.

1. The egg develops in a burrow, in a warm substrate.
2. Then a larva appears from it, outwardly completely different from the adult insect. The body of the dung beetle larva is fat, whitish, the head is small, hard, dark in color with small antennae.
3. The creature feeds on stored dung, then pupates.
4. In spring, an imago, an adult, emerges from the pupa.

Interesting fact! A female dung beetle can produce a maximum of 6 eggs (usually less), so she carefully chooses a partner for mating.

The role of the scarab in the life of Ancient Egypt

The Egyptians had poetic religious texts that called the scarab the god that lives in the heart and protects the inner light of a person. Therefore, the beetle symbol gradually became a connecting link between the divine principle and the human soul, uniting them.

The symbol of the sacred scarab accompanied the ancient Egyptians all their lives and, according to their beliefs, passed with them into the afterlife. If the body was mummified after death, then instead of the heart, an image of a sacred beetle was inserted. Without it, the resurrection of the soul in the afterlife could not occur. Even at the primitive level of medicine, the ancients understood the importance of the heart in the human body and, by placing in its place an image of the sacred beetle, they believed that it represented the primary impulse for the rebirth of the soul. Somewhat later, instead of a figurine of a scarab beetle, the Egyptians made a heart from ceramics, and the names of the deities were depicted on it next to the symbol of the sacred beetle.

Natural enemies

Insects that feed on excrement emit a disgusting odor that repels almost anyone who might eat the bugs. Domestic chickens, crows, and omnivorous hedgehogs do not disdain dung beetles. Young, inexperienced foxes may try to eat the dung beetle due to lack of food. To scare away potential enemies, the beetle makes disgusting creaking sounds by rubbing its abdomen and elytra, and also pretends to be dead.

The body of a dung beetle can be parasitized by a special tiny mite, Gamasuscoleoptratorum, which, with its sharp jaws, bites through the insect’s hard shell and attaches itself. One dung beetle can be the host of several mites at once.

Methods for controlling dung beetles

Most people get rid of bugs because they are afraid of insects. This lamellar is not harmful to people.

You can use hanging bait :

1. For this you need a 2 liter bottle.
2. The neck of the container is cut off.
3. Holes are created around the perimeter to stretch a strong rope on which there will be a trap.
4. Manure is laid out at the bottom.

Also a good effect from a sticky trap . Manure is placed in any vessel with a large diameter. Solid oil is applied around, to which dung beetles stick.

As a folk remedy, you can use a decoction of onion peels . For preparation:

1. Take 1 kg of onion peel and a bucket of water.
2. The husk is poured with boiling water.
3. Leave for 7 days closed.
4. Next, filter.
5. Add more water in a 1:1 ratio.
6. Spray the habitats of the dung beetle.

Benefits for the environment

The dung beetle rolls waste balls for a reason. It moves excrement, helping to clean the area. By burying manure, beetles fertilize the soil. Dung beetles also help disperse plant seeds over long distances.

Ball rolling

Scientists have proven the invaluable contribution of burrowing beetles to the well-being of ecosystems associated with industrial cattle breeding.

Interesting fact! In the 60s of the 20th century, Australian authorities became concerned with the problem of disposing of manure that remained in fields and meadows as animal waste. Evolutionarily endemic species (inhabiting a certain territory) could only process solid feces of local marsupial inhabitants. Dung beetles were brought to Australia from other countries, the digestion of which was adapted to the processing of cow “pats”. Literally within a season, the dung beetles coped with the task.

Reducing the amount of manure reduces the number of flies that carry infections dangerous to livestock. By processing animal excrement, dung beetles reduce the emission of methane and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 40%.

The tunnel holes dug by dung beetles enrich the soil with oxygen.

Modern meaning of the talisman

Now they believe that the image of an insect helps in the afterlife and earthly life. Such amulets protect against evil spirits, negative energy, energy vampirism and other misfortunes. They help with business, creating a family, harmonizing a couple’s relationship and helping them find love.

Such a souvenir from the country of feasts will make the owner confident and harmonize energy. It brings incredible luck in literally everything, the desire to work for your own benefit, destroys laziness and helps you achieve prosperity and success. But he won’t do anything for you, he will teach you wisdom and give you the ability to see the true nature of everything that happens to you.

For women, the scarab brings youth and beauty, internal magnetism and charm. Men are endowed with perseverance and consistency. But the influence of the amulet does not depend on gender. When you lack luck in business, luck in finding a suitable partner, or motivation to work on yourself, turn to the amulet. It also has a positive effect on sexuality, increases libido, and relieves impotence and infertility.

Classification

The family Geotrupidae unites more than 600 species of dung beetles, a small part of them (20 pieces) live in Russia. Dung beetles are divided into several subfamilies:

1. The subfamily Bolboceratidae includes large and medium-sized beetles, most of which live in the Palearctic. The adult size is 15-23 mm, the antennae consist of 11 segments, the club - of 3 segments. The elytra are black, brown or two-colored. The wings are well developed and are used for flight. Adults feed on mushrooms, larvae on humus.
2. The subfamily Geotrupinae are medium-sized beetles, characterized by protruding upper jaws and lips. The club is lamellar or enveloping. On the forelimbs there are 4-9 teeth along the outer edge. The basis of their diet is the excrement of mammals. The beetles also feed on mushrooms and forest litter.
3. The subfamily Lethrinae are beetles with an oval, convex body, the length of which does not exceed 30-35 mm. A characteristic feature is the presence of mandible appendages on the upper jaw of males. The club is enveloping, its segments do not open in the form of a fan. The wings have lost their flight function. The beetles live in burrows; during the breeding season, males are aggressive towards rivals. Mating occurs on the surface. Leaves and shoots are harvested to feed the larvae.

Life cycle

Spring dung beetles reproduce in summer. The beetles dig a special chamber at the very bottom of the hole, into which they roll dung balls, into each of which the female then lays one egg. At this time, the male and female live together, seal the entrance to the burrow with a dung ball and wait for the larvae to appear. Embryonic development of eggs lasts from 20 to 28 days. The hatched larvae feed on the reserves of the contents of the ball in which the egg was located. As they grow, they molt several times. After overwintering, by spring the larva pupates, and soon new beetles emerge to the surface. One generation develops over the course of a year.

Read also: Statuses about food for Instagram

Interesting facts about spiders (11 photos)

As you know, Spiders are a group of arthropods that are most often predators and feed on insects or small animals. Today we want to tell you some interesting facts about these creatures.

Spiders are vegetarians

Spiders are known to feed mainly on small insects, but there is one species, Bagheera kiplingi, whose diet consists exclusively of plant foods. This spider lives in Central America, it is known as almost the only vegetarian spider. This spider feeds on the buds and leaves of acacia trees and has no natural protection from predators. By the way, some ants feed on the same plants and zealously protect their food sources, so spiders sometimes have to fight for food. By deception, they steal the leaves one by one when there are no ants nearby.

Killer Spiders

Some species of spiders obtain food exclusively by stealing from other spiders. They secretly sneak up on the nets of unsuspecting brothers and steal the caught prey. By the way, often after they have captured someone else's lunch, they do not hesitate to kill the owner into whose territory they have sneaked. One crime worse than another!

Waterfowl spiders

Of course, spiders do not have gills like fish, and they are not able to breathe underwater, but some of them manage to easily dive under water and stay there for a long time. The water spider (lat. Argyroneta aquatica), which lives in Europe, is able to stay under water for more than a day. He uses a special bag made from his own silk, in which he stores air bubbles and thus breathes.

Spider molt

All spiders shed their old skin, that is, they molt from time to time. Most often, molting occurs in youth, but in adulthood, spiders also shed the top layer of skin. A few weeks before the start of molting, spiders begin to behave strangely. They may stop feeding or develop bald patches (such as tarantulas). The molting process is usually complex and takes a lot of time. A cocktail of hormones causes the spider's upper layers of skin to separate, and new skin is formed in its place, although not necessarily in that order.

Decoy traps

In order to confuse their enemies, spiders make special decoy traps from their webs that resemble themselves. Some of these decoys are the same size as the spider itself, others are much larger. This is probably done in order to intimidate the enemy. Researchers have sometimes noticed that some spiders shake their decoy webs to create the impression that the decoy is a real living spider. Surprisingly, the trick works, and the spiders have fewer problems with predators.

Space spiders

Jumping spiders were sent into space to test whether they could build webs in low-gravity environments. The spider, named Nefertiti (pictured), adapted to the new conditions and was even able to catch flies. She could not jump on her prey, but she learned to stealthily approach her prey. She was able to develop this skill in just a couple of days! Nefertiti died of natural causes after her space mission was completed and she returned to Earth.

Spider brain

Regardless of size, all spiders weave complex webs. It turns out that this ability takes a lot of energy and requires a fairly developed and large brain. Studies have shown that the smaller the spider, the larger its brain (in proportion to the rest of the body). Some spiders have a brain so large that all other organs are forced to fit into its legs. In other words, these spiders become simply "walking brains."

Incredible web strength

If someone actually had the talents of Spider-Man, he, like the comic book hero, could easily jump from one building to another, and his web would easily support the weight of his body. In fact, spider silk is stronger than steel! For example, if you take a sheet of silk 2.5 centimeters thick, it could stop a fighter jet.

Web decorations

Spider webs are very beautiful, but spiders have to work hard to keep them in order. They typically use silk, but may sometimes also use other materials, such as decorating their webs with egg sacs. There are several theories as to why spiders do this: perhaps to make the webs stronger or to attract mates. One study found that spiders decorated their webs after being damaged, supporting the idea that decorations help them strengthen their webs.

Interesting facts about ants. 25 amazing facts about ants

25 amazing facts about ants

We provide you with 25 interesting facts about ants.

25. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors during the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago.

This means that they are as ancient as dinosaurs, but unlike them, ants managed to survive.

24. Ant colonies vary in size. While some colonies consist of a few dozen individuals, others can be formed from millions of ants.

23. Ants have colonized almost every landmass on our planet. With the exception of Antarctica, the Arctic and a handful of islands.

22. There are more than 12,000 known species of ants, which vary in shape, color and size. They range from 0.07 to 5 centimeters in length.

21. Termites are often incorrectly considered to be ants, but in fact, they belong to the order Isoptera which is closer to cockroaches than to ants.

20. Some scientific studies show that at any given time there are approximately 10,000,000,000,000,000 ants living on Earth. It is estimated that ants make up about 15-20 percent of the earth's total animal biomass, which exceeds the mass of vertebrates.

19. Queen ants can live up to 30 years, which is about 100 times longer than solitary insects of the same size. Worker ants live from 1 to 3 years.

18. Ants can “enslave” members of other ant species by holding them captive and forcing them to do work for the colony.

17. The largest colonies of ants are called “supercolonies”. They create giant anthills that can be thousands of kilometers long. The largest supercolony spans more than 5,954 kilometers and contains more than 1 billion ants.

16. Paraponera clavata, commonly known as "bullet ants", have the most painful bite. Some victims say their bite is similar to being shot, hence the insect's name. The all-consuming pain may continue unabated for up to 24 hours.

15. Ants are known to be able to lift and transport objects weighing approximately 50 times their own body weight, but a recent scientific study conducted at Ohio State University suggests that they are capable of carrying weights that exceed their own body weight. own body 5000 times, which is truly incredible.

14. Ants have “multifaceted eyes,” which are made up of numerous tiny lenses attached to each other. Ant eyes are good for quickly detecting movement, but do not provide high-resolution images.

13. Weightlifting is not the only sport that ants are good at. They are also excellent runners, capable of running 7.62 centimeters per second. If a person could run as fast as an ant, he could run at a speed of almost 55 kilometers per hour.

12. With 250,000 brain cells in its tiny head, the ant is believed to be the smartest insect.

11. Ants do not have ears, but they hear by detecting ground vibrations using special sensors on their feet and knees.

10. Each ant colony has its own distinctive smell. Therefore, intruders can be immediately recognized.

9. The only duty of the queen ant is to lay eggs. The eggs are then cared for by workers who move them deep into the nest to protect them from the cold each night.

8. Some species (such as wandering ants) are nomadic - they live in the same place for only a short time, and then they pack up their food, eggs, larvae and queen and move on.

7. Ants can grow and cultivate fungus and transmit it not only within individual species, but also exchange it with other species that grow fungi.

6. While the sting of the bullet ant is considered the most painful, the sting of the black bulldog ant can even be fatal to humans. Fortunately, an antidote has been developed for it.

5. Ants may be the only creatures (other than mammals) that can learn through interactive learning. Experienced foragers have been recorded leading their "disciples" to newly discovered food. The student gained knowledge with the help of his leading mentor. The leader could even detect a student's learning progress and would slow down when the student fell behind.

4. The Antquarium, a special container for keeping ants as pets sold worldwide, was originally developed by NASA for the purpose of studying animals in space.

Where does it live?

Most of us are sure that the insect’s habitat is quite limited. But this opinion is wrong; the dung-ball-rolling insect is found not only in Africa. The peddler beetle, or beetle, is common north of the Himalayas in Europe and Asia. In the Eastern Hemisphere, it failed to take root only in Australia. The Western Hemisphere did not become a home for him at all.

Due to the large accumulation of manure, insects are periodically imported to other continents; they cope with the problem, but they fail to take root either in Australia or on the American continent.

Ladybug

In nature, it is not difficult to recognize this insect. Even the smallest child is friends with the ladybug. Probably each of us said:

“Ladybug, Fly to the sky, There your children eat candy, they give it to everyone, but they don’t give it to you.”

It turns out that the ladybug is not so harmless. She is a predator, feeding on aphids, crickets, spiders and other insects that harm plants. This type of beetle brings great benefits to our nature.

Interesting facts about ladybugs

• The French believed that the ladybug protected against misfortune; they wore talismans with a design of this insect.
• In the Czech Republic, it was believed that a ladybug promises good luck.
• During flight, a ladybug makes up to 85 wing beats per second.
• During its life, this bug lays up to 2000 eggs, and some of them are both fertilized and not. Unfertilized “empty” eggs serve as food for the young.
• Ladybugs overwinter, gathering in large colonies under stumps, stones, in tree crevices...

Suborders of Coleoptera

Zhuki is a name formed in Russian on the principle of onomatopoeia, due to the characteristic sounds that representatives of the order Coleoptera make when flying. It cannot be confused with the sounds made by other insects that do not have elytra.

The sizes of beetles can vary from a few mm to more than 20 cm (according to unverified data, these are the dimensions of a titanium lumberjack, the photo of which should be viewed next to some familiar object, for example, a 10 cm long box of matches). 4 suborders are carnivorous or predatory beetles - Archostemata, Myxophaga (the smallest, but very characteristic) and heterovores.

Numerous species of beetles included in these suborders, according to coleopterologists, need to be differentiated by distinctive features and photos. Although, according to the results of scientific research, the first beetles date back more than 300 million years from the moment they appeared on the planet, their development followed peculiar winding paths.

Other interesting facts

Different subspecies of drillers perform different functions - some, for example, roll balls, others dig tunnels, and others simply live on the ground and live happily ever after. They have powerful short legs that allow them to quickly dig holes and tunnels when the need arises.

When dung beetles flee from danger, their wings begin to creak. Individuals also look very specific - no other insect has such beautiful flat wings and wing wings, which are also released when necessary.

The wings of the Caligo butterfly look like an owl.

Birds find their way and build flights along the Earth's magnetic lines

Tigers can go without food for two or even three weeks

An elephant turtle can live without food or water for up to one and a half years.

The transparent salpa is not a fish, but an animal that simplifies in the process of development

The Komodo dragon is the largest predator lizard

Crocodiles don't cry tears

The red sweat of a hippopotamus is the result of a special gland.