All Praise The Humble Dung Beetle
By recycling and removing feces, these unsung insects make the world go ’round
By Richard Jones, Zócalo Public Square
smithsonian.com
January 10, 2018
Poop is not a dirty word. It is a fascinating process, and the start of a complex interaction of recycling and reusing. Surprisingly, in an age obsessed with recycling, we are remarkably cavalier about sloshing our bodily waste away down sewage pipes, which means that most people have, perhaps, lost touch with the environmental marvels and ecological lessons that dung has to offer.
Out in the natural world, though, no such thoughtless waste occurs, for which we can thank the 6,000 species of dung beetles that attend to excrement around the planet. These handsome, broad, powerful, chunky, glossy beetles assiduously burrow in the stuff, bury it, lay their eggs in it, eat it, and generally get rid of it before it creates a problem.
Read more:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-humble-dung-beetle-180967781/#0WSkHGhbe8T4wDGr.99
