Neateuchus proboscideus
Range
There are several different kinds (species) of dung beetle in Africa and thousands of different kinds all over the world, wherever there is dung.
Habitat
The African Dung Beetle (Neateuchus proboscideus) lives on the grassland (savanna).
Body Traits
They are large, black beetles, about an inch long. Adult dung beetles have mouth parts which are made to feed on plant and animal matter that has rotted down to a liquid. They can also break down dry dung.
Habits
Dung beetles roll dung into a ball. They can be seen rolling them across open areas. They bury the balls or pack them into burrows. Breaking down dung helps the environment by stopping flies from breeding in the dung and releases the dung’s nutrients into the soil, like fertilizer.
Diet
They eat the dung but will also eat mushrooms and rotting plant matter.
Reproduction
A female beetle lays eggs in a dung ball that she and a male beetle have rolled down into a burrow that they have dug. The eggs hatch and the young feed on the dung around them.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Neateuchus
Species: N. proboscideus