Dung beetle - change of life style ...

paul m · #1 (**permalink**) 21-01-2009, 10:08 AM

Not for the faint-hearted - this dung-beetle turns out to be a ferocious predator:
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Little dung beetle is big chopper

Pudding4brains · #2 (**permalink**) 21-01-2009, 12:54 PM

Amazing stuff, Paul

Thanks for the link!

Cheers, Arp

goosey · #3 (**permalink**) 21-01-2009, 06:07 PM

How weird is that and what would happen if more creatures change diet like these dung beetles. Surely this means if the beetles are eating the millipedes what usually eats them are going hungry - there will be a knock on effect. There again what's not to say, that these beetles have always done this but that it just has never been noticed or studied? Why eat a millipede even if it is weakened or injured and not go for easier small prey, it's new menu preference seems to make life difficult for itself - interesting

Great article

.

H Dogg · #4 (**permalink**) 21-01-2009, 08:54 PM

Great minds think alike Goosey ive just posted a similar but shorter version of what you said over on WAB. Insect behaviour is not well understood or studied so this could be perfectly normal just recently observed.

paul m · #5 (**permalink**) 27-01-2013, 03:35 PM

Here's something else on dung beetles although it may apply to other beetles families.
BBC News - Dung beetles guided by Milky Way

If this is correct then light pollution and other blocking of starlight may be very significant to some insects' navigation and other activities ....

chris butterworth · #6 (**permalink**) 31-01-2013, 03:14 PM

On the other hand I shouldn't think much work has been put into a lot of species / families of beetle in places like Peru. "Scarabids behave like scarabids + eat dung" type of universal statements are being disproven daily. 'Anomalous' diets may be fairly widespread among families, it's just that it's never been recorded before.

Chris