ExploreInsects

Dung Rollers

Canthon

Dung rollers are amazing insects that help clean up animal poop! They roll the dung into balls and take it to their homes. This helps keep the environment clean and provides food for them.

Habitat: Grasslands

Appearance

The Dung Rollers has a stout, often dark and iridescent body, with strong, spiny legs adapted for digging and shaping dung. Their hard, protective wing cases (elytra) can display metallic green or bronze hues, covering functional wings.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderColeopteraFamilyScarabaeidaeGenusCanthon
Dung Rollers
solitary trait badgescavenger trait badgegrassland trait badgeherbivorous trait badge
Dung Rollers

Category

Insects

Rarity

Common

Danger

1/5 · Very low

Snaps

Be the first to snap!

Interesting facts

Ancient Egyptians worshipped scarab beetles, a type of dung roller.

Dung rollers help farms by burying pest eggs and improving soil.

Some dung rollers dance on their dung ball to cool their feet!

They are the world's strongest insect relative to their size.

Special abilities

Ability

Dung Navigator

Dung Rollers can roll their dung balls in a perfectly straight line because they navigate using the polarization patterns of moonlight or sunlight.

Ability

Super Strength

Dung Rollers has incredibly strong legs and body that helps them push dung balls many times their own weight, up to 1,141 times!

Ability

Poop Architect

Dung Rollers can sculpt dung into perfect spheres because their specialized legs allow for precise molding for their eggs.

Measurements & details

Wingspan
7-60 mm
Size
5-30 mm
Lifespan
60-365 days
Flight Speed
10 km/h
Leg Count
6

Diet & Feeding

These amazing insects eat animal droppings, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Primary Foods

  • mammal dung
  • bird droppings
  • decaying fungi

Foraging Method

  • Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Hunts adult and larval dung rollers in open fields.

eaten by

Common Toad

Bufo bufo

Consumes dung rollers foraging on the ground at night.

eaten by

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Forages for insects, including dung beetles, on the ground.

Traits

Also known as

No aliases listed yet.

Collections

Safety

Danger

1/5 · Very low

It's best to watch dung rollers from a distance and not touch them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dung Rollers's wingspan?

7-60 mm

How big is Dung Rollers?

5-30 mm

How long does Dung Rollers live?

60-365 days

How fast can Dung Rollers fly?

10 km/h

What does Dung Rollers eat?

These amazing insects eat animal droppings, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Where is Dung Rollers usually found?

Grasslands

How does Dung Rollers hunt?

Foraging

How many legs does Dung Rollers have?

6

Snap Map

Zoom in to split clusters and explore where this object has been snapped.

Loading map…

Recent Snaps

Recent snaps will appear here as new observations are added.

Where to spot

More Insects