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Dung beetles are categorized into three groups according to their method of collecting and utilizing dung. There are rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers.
Rollers, also known as “tumble bugs,” shape the dung into balls then roll it way from the dung heaps before burying it. They travel backwards, holding the ball between hind legs and pushing along the ground with forelegs. Often, the borrow area is prepared ahead of time by a female while a male collects and rolls dung for her. Some of the larger males can move balls of dung up to 50 times their own weight.These males make a loose selection of dung material when feeding themselves, but will be very selective when preparing a ball in which the female will lay her egg. If the pair works together in forming the ball, they can make much larger than the male working alone. Then the female rides on the ball as the male rolls it away. The roller strategy is considered to be evolutionarily the most advanced. It decreases the chances of theft by other beetles. It also has seed-dispersing benefits addressed later.
Tunnelers fly until they locate a dung heap. Then they excavate tunnels underneath. They haul bundles of dung down into the underground chambers where they feed and lay eggs. Like rollers, the female does most of the digging work and the male collects the dung. Unlike rollers, the female sorts through the dung to find quality edible and egg-laying material.
Dwellers don’t move the dung at all. They live and breed in the dung heap just as it has fallen from the animal. They engage in little to no digging, and generally do not form brood balls. Most dwellers belong to the subfamily Aphodiidae.Last Updated December 1, 2008