Arizona Dung Beetles

Dung Beetle. Look how the male uses the big spikes on his forelimbs as cleats when he pushes. Also see how he’s not using the flimsy tarsi on his forelimbs to push, they are folded back and out of the way.

Near Tucson, July 2005, I was out in the desert looking for interesting ants. The monsoons had just started and it had rained the night before.

I came across a pair of beetles rolling an irregularly oval-shaped ball of dung across the desert floor.

Male Dung Beetle does a handstand to roll a dung ball with his hind legs. Female is on the left side of the photo.

From what I’ve read, the male does most of the pushing, and the female rides more or less passively on the dung ball.

I believe these are Dung Beetles in the genus Canthon, perhaps either C. imitator or C. floridanus. After they roll this ball of dung away, they dig a tunnel and bury the dung, then lay an egg in the ball. The larva will hatch into a grub which will eat the dung.

This was a very cool thing to see.