As a change from showing the things I've been making for a Christmas market, I thought I'd show this picture that I took a couple of days ago. We've had an invasion of dung beetles. Those that come into the house are going to be unlucky, no dung here. But this pair in the garden has a good ball to bury with their eggs inside. They moved the ball along quite fast and every now and then one would climb on top - to look about, presumably.
Fascinating. I looked up dung beetles and found this on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_beetle
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating. Apparently there are so many flies in Australia because there are no dung beetles to bury dung.
DeleteHmm, spring is the air down there! Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteKind of amusing to realize what this is! Before I scrolled down I thought it might be some kind of yarn creation!!!! But it IS a creation of sorts! Your photo is magazine worthy - for National Geographic! Moles in our yard are creating their own art work, and I'm not happy about it!
ReplyDeleteWell that answers the question "how do they know where they are going?
ReplyDeleteYou must be a biologist at heart. I say that because I am. Love your picture. I have heard about dung beetles all my life (you should have heard the jokes), but never saw one. Thanks for the pic.
ReplyDeleteI have seen them on nature programmes but never seen any, I am glad they don't come in my garden.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
GREAT photo, Jane !
ReplyDeleteI read thru the wiki entry, too, to find out more about this v interesting scarab. But one Q still nags (unless I go into deeper searches) - how big is this dung beetle ?
The ones we see here vary from fingernail size to golfball size. This pair is on the smaller end of the spectrum - say 3 cm circumference.
Deleteholy crap! and I mean that!
ReplyDelete