# Woodland Dor Beetle (*Anoplotrupes stercorosus*) The Woodland Dor Beetle is a shiny black bug that helps nature by breaking down animal waste. They are often found in forests and are important for keeping the soil healthy. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Woodland Dor Beetle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_01_%28MK%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Mathias Krumbholz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_01_%28MK%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Woodland Dor Beetle is a robust, rounded insect, typically 12–19 mm long. It is black above with a metallic blue sheen (sometimes violet or green) and bright metallic blue below. Its hard wing covers (elytra) have 7 lightly dotted grooves, its short, clubbed antennae are reddish brown, and its strong, spiny legs help it dig. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Coleoptera - **Family:** Geotrupidae - **Genus:** Anoplotrupes ## Woodland dor beetle, up close The woodland dor beetle (Anoplotrupes stercorosus) is a round, shiny black beetle, 12–19 mm long, with a metallic blue underside. It lives on the floor of European forests, from the lowlands up to about 2,000 m. It is an earth-boring dung beetle (family Geotrupidae): instead of rolling balls, it digs tunnels under dung and packs them with food for its larvae, and it also eats carrion, rotting fungi and leaf mould. Also called: Dor beetle, Forest dung beetle, Waldmistkäfer (German: “forest dung beetle”), Geotrupes stercorosus (older scientific name). A metallic blue belly, tunnels under the dung and a squeak you can hear. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself. ### Special abilities - **Tunnel Digger** (≈30 cm tunnel depth under the dung): Dor beetles don’t roll dung away. They dig straight down beneath it and drag it into their tunnel. [4][1][5][8] - Females burrow to a depth of about 30 cm below herbivore dung, depending on the soil. - The pair works as a team: the female digs underground and the male carries out the soil. - Their legs are built for dragging food down a burrow rather than rolling it. - Some relatives in the same family dig burrows more than 2 m deep. - How deep do they dig?: Woodland dor beetle tunnel ≈30 cm; Deepest burrows in its family over 2 m - **Dung Nursery** (1 egg per chamber): Each brood chamber gets one egg and a packed store of dung, so the larva has its own pantry. [1][4] - Several side tunnels branch off the main one, and each ends in a chamber. - The female lays one egg in each chamber, and dung is packed in as food for the larva. - The larva takes about a year to grow. It spends the winter as a larva and becomes a pupa the next spring. - New adults appear in summer but are not ready to breed until the following spring. - **Scent Tracker** (24 carrion smells detected): Its antennae pick up the smells of dung and of dead animals, and lead it to food that won’t last long. [3] - It is the most common dung beetle found on dead animals in German forests. - Its antennae reacted to 24 smell chemicals from decaying bodies in lab tests. - In the forest, a mix of 3 of these chemicals was enough to attract them. - Scientists think eating many kinds of food helps explain why it is so common in European forests. - **Mite Taxi** (5 kinds of mite found riding on it): Tiny mites and microscopic roundworms ride around on dor beetles, using them as a taxi. [6][7] - Riding on another animal to travel is called phoresy. - Beetles from a Polish forest carried 5 kinds of mite, most often in June, July and September. - Scientists collected 5,002 roundworms from 114 beetles. Some beetles had none, one had more than 1,000. - Roundworm passengers per beetle: Most on one beetle over 1,000; Average (5,002 on 114 beetles) ≈44 - **Squeak Box** (2 sound organs on every beetle): Dor beetles squeak by rubbing a ridged file against a hard edge. They do it when courting, and when they are picked up. [1][9] - Unusually, every beetle has two sound organs, built differently and in different places. - One is a file on each back hip, about 1.4–1.5 mm long with around 90 ridges, scraped by the thick edge of a belly plate. - The other is a 1.8 mm hairy patch on the side of the belly, rubbed against scales under the wing cases. - Males and females both squeak. Larvae of at least one related dor beetle make sounds too. - Ridges on the hip sound file: Females ≈92; Males ≈87 - **Twilight Flight** (Twilight when adults fly): Around twilight, dor beetles lift their wing cases, unfold their flight wings and fly low over woods and pastures. [4][10] - Adults fly around twilight, low over dung in pastures, over moorland and through woodland. - The flight wings are kept folded under the hard wing cases the rest of the time. - They mostly stay in forests: in a study in central Russia from 2007 to 2023 they were rarely caught in open habitats. - **Forest Clean-up** (62% of test dung cleared in closed forest): By eating and burying dung, carrion and rotting fungi, dor beetles help recycle nutrients back into the forest soil. [11][12][13][2] - In German forest plots, beetles cleared 61.9% of test dung under closed canopy, but only 48.5% in clearings about 30 m wide. - The drop happened mainly because clearings had fewer woodland dor beetles, a big, key forest species. - Large tunnelling dung beetles like this family play a central role in removing dung and recycling nutrients, and dung beetles also mix and loosen the soil (bioturbation). - Besides dung, it eats carrion, leaf-litter mould and decomposing fungi. - Test dung removed in German forests: Closed forest 61.9%; Forest clearing (≈30 m) 48.5% ### Body parts - **Antennae** (24 carrion smells its antennae picked up) [1][2][3] - Its antennae are reddish brown, a nice contrast with the black body. - In lab tests, the antennae reacted to 24 different chemicals given off by decaying animal bodies. - A blend of just 3 of those smells was enough to lure the beetles in German forests. - **Mouthparts** [2][1] - It eats animal dung and carrion, and also mould from leaf litter, rotting fungi such as the stinkhorn, and sometimes tree sap. - Next to the mouth are small feelers called palps, tipped with sense organs. - When a male meets a female, he taps her with these palps. - **Wing cases and wings** (7 grooves on each wing case) [4][2][1] - The hard wing cases (elytra) are black with a metallic blue sheen, and each has 7 lightly dotted grooves. - Along their sides the wing cases can shine blue, violet or green. - Thin flight wings stay folded underneath until the beetle takes off, usually around twilight. - **Underside** (Metallic blue underside) [4][1][2] - Turn it over and the underside is bright metallic blue, sometimes violet or green. - Its two sound organs are on the underside too: a ridged file on each back hip and a hairy patch at the side of the belly. - Old names for colour forms, such as var. viridis (green) and var. amoethystinus (amethyst), are no longer used: they are all the same species. - **Legs** [5][1][2] - Its legs are built for dragging dung straight down a tunnel. Scientists found that the angles its leg joints can open to differ strongly from those of ball-rolling scarabs. - The front shins end in a slightly pointed tooth. - Each back shin has only 2 cross-ridges. The very similar common dung beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius) has 3, which helps experts tell them apart. - **Hitchhikers** (>1,000 tiny worms found on one beetle) [6][7] - Tiny mites ride on dor beetles. This kind of hitchhiking is called phoresy. - A study in a Polish forest found 5 kinds of mite on them, most often in June, July and September. - Microscopic roundworms (nematodes) hitch rides too: one beetle carried more than 1,000 of them. - **Gut** [2][6] - Adults feed on dung, carrion and rotting fungi, so their gut handles some very messy meals. - Inside, some beetles carry tiny single-celled parasites and the young stages of tapeworms. - These inside guests were more common in beetles from rich forest soils. - **Burrow** (≈30 cm tunnel depth) [4][1] - In spring, a female digs a tunnel about 30 cm down beneath herbivore dung, depending on the soil. - She does the digging underground while the male carries the loose soil out. - Side tunnels end in brood chambers, each with one egg and a store of dung. ### Stats | Stat | Value | Notes | |---|---|---| | Length | 12–19 mm | a little smaller than the common dung beetle [2][1][14] | | Tunnel depth | ≈30 cm | below the dung, depending on the soil [4] | | Eggs per chamber | 1 | each with its own store of dung [1] | | Time as a larva | ≈1 year | it spends the winter as a larva [1] | | Active | March–autumn | busiest in late spring and late summer [4][10] | | Furthest north | ≈67°N | from Europe east to western Siberia [1] | | Highest | ≈2,000 m | from the lowlands up into the mountains [1] | | Sound organs | 2 | a hip file with about 90 ridges, plus a hairy belly patch [1] | | Mite hitchhikers | 5 kinds | in one Polish forest study [6] | | Dung cleared | 61.9% | of test dung in closed German forest, vs 48.5% in clearings [11] | ### Photos - [On the leaf litter of a forest floor](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_01_(MK).jpg) (photo: Mathias Krumbholz, CC BY-SA 3.0) - [Near Segonzano, Trentino, Italy](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_Quaras_02.jpg) (photo: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [A pair in their natural habitat](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_pair_of_Anoplotrupes_stercorosus.jpg) (photo: I naturen, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Steinbachtal, Saarbrücken, Germany](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20180707Anoplotrupes_stercorosus.jpg) (photo: Flocci Nivis, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Bois des Mazuis, Vitrival, Belgium](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_04.2025_(3).jpg) (photo: DidierFy, CC BY-SA 4.0) - [Refugio de Gabardito, Aragon, Spain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_(Woodland_Dor_beetle)_-_Flickr_-_S._Rae.jpg) (photo: S. Rae, CC BY 2.0) - [Taking flight: the wing cases lift and the flight wings unfold](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anoplotrupes_stercorosus_-_taking_flight_(2006-07-04).jpg) (photo: Entomart, Attribution) - [Cousin: a male minotaur beetle, southwest France](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typhaeus_typhoeus_(M)%2C_France.jpg) (photo: Siga, CC BY-SA 3.0) ### Questions - **What does a woodland dor beetle eat?** Mostly dung, but also carrion, mould from leaf litter, rotting fungi such as the stinkhorn, and sometimes tree sap. Its larvae eat the dung their parents pack into brood chambers. [2][1] - **Is a woodland dor beetle a dung-rolling scarab?** No. It belongs to the earth-boring dung beetles (Geotrupidae). It digs a tunnel under the dung and drags the dung down, instead of rolling a ball away like the sacred scarab. [8][5][16] - **Why does a dor beetle squeak?** It rubs a ridged file against a hard edge to make sounds. Pairs squeak during courtship, and a beetle squeaks in protest when picked up, so it is best to watch it without touching. [1] - **How big is a woodland dor beetle?** Adults are 12–19 mm long, a little smaller than the very similar common dung beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius). [2][1] - **Where do woodland dor beetles live?** In forests across Europe, east to western Siberia and north to about 67°N, from the lowlands up to about 2,000 m. They like damp broadleaf and mixed woods and are rare in open country. [1][4][10] - **Can dor beetles fly?** Yes. Adults fly around twilight, low over pastures, moorland and woodland, with flight wings that fold away under their hard wing cases. [4] - **What are the tiny things crawling on a dor beetle?** Usually mites hitching a ride, which is called phoresy. One Polish study found 5 kinds. Dor beetles also carry microscopic roundworms, sometimes more than 1,000 on one beetle. [6][7] - **Is the woodland dor beetle endangered?** No. The IUCN has not assessed it, but it is one of the most common beetles in European forests. It becomes scarce in forest clearings and on burned ground. [18][3][11][10] ### Woodland dor beetle myths and facts Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer. - "Woodland dor beetles roll balls of dung, like the sacred scarab." **Myth!** Dor beetles are tunnellers. They dig straight down under the dung and drag it into their burrow. Ball-rolling is what scarabs such as Scarabaeus do, and their legs are built differently. [5][4][16] - "A dor beetle can move more than 1,000 times its own weight." **Not proven!** The famous “strongest insect” tests were done on a different, horned dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. We found no strength measurement for the woodland dor beetle. [17] - "Dor beetles only eat dung." **Myth!** They also eat carrion, mould from leaf litter, rotting fungi such as the stinkhorn and sometimes tree sap. They are the most common dung beetle on dead animals in German forests. [2][1][3] - "A dor beetle can squeak." **Fact!** It rubs a ridged file against a hard edge, and every beetle has two of these sound organs. It squeaks while courting and in protest when it is picked up, so it is kinder to just watch. [1] - "Dor beetles carry passengers." **Fact!** Mites ride on them (5 kinds in one Polish study), and so do microscopic roundworms: one beetle carried more than 1,000. [6][7] - "Dor beetles are too heavy to fly." **Myth!** They fly well. Adults take off around twilight and fly low over pastures, moorland and woodland. [4] - "Mum and dad dor beetle build the nursery together." **Fact!** The female digs the tunnel and the brood chambers, and the male carries the loose soil out of the burrow. [1] - "The woodland dor beetle is an endangered species." **Myth!** It is one of the most common beetles in European forests, though the IUCN has never assessed it. It does become scarce in clearings and after fires. [18][3][10][11] ### Woodland dor beetle records Superlatives and record holders, each checked against its source. - Top dung beetle on carcasses: Woodland dor beetle, No. 1 (the most common dung beetle found on dead animals in German forests) [3] - Most passengers on one beetle: One woodland dor beetle, over 1,000 (microscopic roundworms, the top count among 114 beetles checked) [7] - Double sound system: Woodland dor beetle, 2 organs (unusually, each beetle has two differently built sound organs in two places) [1] - Furthest north: Woodland dor beetle, ≈67°N (its range reaches about 67° north) [1] - Deepest digging in the family: Some earth-boring dung beetles, over 2 m (burrows of some Geotrupidae go deeper than 2 m) [8] ### A year in the life of a woodland dor beetle From a grub in a dung-packed chamber to a squeaking, flying adult. - **Winter**: Resting underground. Larvae spend the winter in their chambers. Young adults wait out the cold in burrows too. [1][4] - **Early spring**: Waking up. Adults appear from March. Last year’s young adults are now ready to breed, and courting pairs squeak to each other. [4][1] - **Spring**: Digging the nursery. The female tunnels about 30 cm under dung while the male clears the soil. Each side chamber gets one egg and a dung store. Meanwhile last year’s larvae turn into pupae. [4][1] - **Late spring**: First busy peak. Activity peaks for the first time. In some forests there are one, two or even three peaks in a year. [4][10] - **Summer**: New adults. Adults from last year’s eggs climb out. Hitchhiking mites are most numerous in June, July and September. [1][6] - **Late summer**: Second busy peak. New and old beetles feed on dung, carrion and fungi and fly at twilight. [4][2] - **Autumn**: Slowing down. Beetles are still about until autumn, then head underground for the winter. [4] ### Woodland dor beetle vs scarab vs stag beetle Three big European beetles with three very different ways of feeding their young. | | Woodland dor beetle | Sacred scarab | Stag beetle | |---|---|---|---| | Scientific name [2][16][19] | Anoplotrupes stercorosus | Scarabaeus sacer | Lucanus cervus | | Family [8][16][19] | Geotrupidae (earth-boring dung beetles) | Scarabaeidae (scarabs) | Lucanidae (stag beetles) | | Length [2][16][20] | 12–19 mm | 19–40 mm | Varies a lot: bigger in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands than in the UK | | What it does with food [5][16][19] | Drags dung straight down a tunnel under the pile | Rolls a dung ball away, then buries it | Larvae eat rotting wood underground, not dung | | Where the young grow [4][16][20] | Dung-packed chambers about 30 cm down | Underground chamber with a dung brood ball | Decaying wood in the soil, often oak | | Party trick [1][21][19] | Squeaks with 2 sound organs | Ball-rollers steer by the Sun, Moon and even the Milky Way | Males wrestle with antler-like jaws | | IUCN Red List [18][22][23] | Not evaluated | Not evaluated | Least Concern (worldwide) | The Milky Way experiments were done on African ball-rolling dung beetles, relatives of the sacred scarab. ### Is the woodland dor beetle endangered? No. It is one of the most common beetles on European forest floors. But it needs shady forest, and it disappears from clearings and burned ground. - **IUCN Red List:** Not Evaluated (NE) (Trend unknown). Common and widespread, and called “super-dominant” in temperate European forests. A study in central Russia from 2007 to 2023 collected 6,738 of them from 256 habitats. [18][3][10] - Not assessed by the IUCN Red List (checked October 2026). - **Threat: Forest clearings** (61.9% → 48.5%): In German experiments, clearings about 30 m wide had fewer woodland dor beetles, and less test dung was removed. [11] - **Threat: Fire and open ground**: Numbers were very low on burned areas, and the beetles were rarely found in open habitats. [10] - **Threat: Livestock medicines in dung**: Low doses of ivermectin, a common livestock wormer, harmed the sense of smell and movement of another dung beetle. Woodland dor beetles live mainly in forests, but adults also fly over pastures. [24][4] - **Threat: Farmland and towns**: Across Bavaria, dung-visiting beetles were scarcer where farmland and settlements replaced natural habitats. [13] - **Helping: Keeping forests shady**: It does best in mixed and broadleaf forests with plenty of shrubs and ground plants. In one big experiment, making production forests more patchy did not help dung beetles. [10][25] - **Helping: Recording sightings**: Local recording schemes such as NatureSpot map where it lives. Scientists are also testing it as an indicator of forest health. [4][10] - **Minotaur beetle** (NE): A horned cousin of sandy heaths and pine forests that stocks its nest with rabbit droppings. [14][15] - **Stag beetle** (LC): Least Concern worldwide, but researchers think it may be declining across Europe. [23][20] - **Sacred scarab** (NE): The ball-roller revered in ancient Egypt has not been assessed either. [22][16] ### Woodland dor beetle sounds and signals - Walking alone along a forest path: Out searching for food such as dung or fungi. [1] - Male taps the female with his palps and makes short squeaks: Courtship: he is trying to win her over. [1] - Both beetles make longer squeaks, up to 1.5 seconds: A courting pair has lost touch and is searching for each other. [1] - Female squeaks while digging in: “Guiding” sounds as she starts the tunnel, with the male following. [1] - Squeaking after being picked up: A protest. Put it down gently, or better, just watch it. [1] ### Looks - **Adult**: Black above with a metallic blue sheen, bright metallic blue below, 12–19 mm long. (The usual look on forest paths) [4][2][1] - **Violet**: Some beetles have a blue-violet thorax, violet sides to the wing cases and a violet underside. Green ones occur too. (Same species: old names like “amoethystinus” are no longer used) [1][2] - **Larva**: A grub that lives alone in an underground chamber and feeds on the dung store its parents packed in. (About a year as a larva, including the winter) [1][4] - **Minotaur beetle**: Typhaeus typhoeus, a cousin in the same family, 15–24 mm long. Males have three horns on the thorax; females have pointed bumps. (Packs rabbit droppings into “dung sausages” for its larvae) [14][15] ### Woodland dor beetle quiz 1. What colour is a woodland dor beetle’s underside? **Metallic blue.** The underside is bright metallic blue, sometimes violet or green. [4][1] 2. What does it do with dung? **Drags it down a tunnel under the dropping.** It is a tunneller, not a ball-roller. [5][4] 3. How deep is its brood tunnel, roughly? **30 cm.** About 30 cm, depending on the soil. [4] 4. How many eggs go in each brood chamber? **1.** One egg per chamber, each with its own dung store. [1] 5. Who carries the soil out of the tunnel? **The male.** The female digs underground while the male carries the soil out. [1] 6. How long does a dor beetle spend as a larva? **About a year.** About a year, including the winter. [1] 7. When do adults usually fly? **Around twilight.** Adults fly around twilight. [4] 8. How many sound organs does each beetle have? **2.** Two: a ridged file on each back hip and a hairy belly patch. [1] 9. What is phoresy? **Hitchhiking on another animal.** Mites and roundworms use dor beetles as a taxi. [6][7] 10. How many smell chemicals from dead animals did its antennae react to? **24.** 24 in lab tests, and a blend of 3 was enough to lure them. [3] 11. Which cousin has three horns on its thorax? **The male minotaur beetle.** Male minotaur beetles have three horns; females have pointed bumps. [14] 12. What is its IUCN Red List status? **Not evaluated.** It has never been assessed, though it is very common in European forests. 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Minotaur beetle (Typhaeus typhoeus).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_beetle) 15. [Brussaard L, Visser WJ (1987). Dung exploitation by the dung beetle Typhaeus typhoeus (Col., Geotrupidae). Oecologia.](https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00385039) 16. [Wikipedia (2026). Scarabaeus sacer (sacred scarab).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarabaeus_sacer) 17. [Knell RJ, Simmons LW (2010). Mating tactics determine patterns of condition dependence in a dimorphic horned beetle. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 277.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0257) 18. [GBIF (2026). Anoplotrupes stercorosus (Hartmann, 1791): IUCN Red List category.](https://www.gbif.org/species/1071240) 19. [Wikipedia (2026). Lucanus cervus (European stag beetle).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucanus_cervus) 20. [Harvey DJ, Gange AC, Hawes CJ, Rink M (2011). Bionomics and distribution of the stag beetle, Lucanus cervus (L.) across Europe. Insect Conservation and Diversity 4:23–38.](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2010.00107.x) 21. [Dacke M, Baird E, Byrne M, Scholtz CH, Warrant EJ (2013). Dung beetles use the Milky Way for orientation. Current Biology 23:298–300.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.12.034) 22. [GBIF (2026). Scarabaeus sacer Linnaeus, 1758: IUCN Red List category.](https://www.gbif.org/species/1087226) 23. [Wikidata (2026). Lucanus cervus (Q190491): IUCN conservation status (P141).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190491) 24. [Verdú JR, Cortez V, Ortiz AJ, González-Rodríguez E, Martinez-Pinna J, Lumaret JP, et al. (2015). Low doses of ivermectin cause sensory and locomotor disorders in dung beetles. Scientific Reports 5:13912.](https://doi.org/10.1038/srep13912) 25. [Asch J, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Pierick K, et al. (2025). Dung beetles do not profit from enhanced spatial heterogeneity in production forests: a large-scale forest manipulation experiment. bioRxiv preprint (published 2026 in Journal of Applied Ecology).](https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.18.670815) ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 20-30 mm - **Size:** 12-19 mm - **Lifespan:** 365-730 days - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding These amazing beetles feast on decaying plants and animal waste, helping keep our forests clean and healthy! - **Age differences:** Larvae feed exclusively on buried dung provided by their parents, while adults also consume fungi and rotting plant matter. - **Primary Foods:** Mammal Dung, Decaying Fungi, Rotting Leaves, Plant Sap - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Depends on:** [Roe Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/roe-deer) (*Capreolus capreolus*) — Dung from herbivores such as roe deer feeds adults and larvae. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter. - [Scavenger](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/scavenger): Scavengers consume dead organic matter, helping to decompose carcasses and other waste in the ecosystem. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low These beetles are harmless, but it's best to observe them without touching. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Woodland Dor Beetle? Look for hard wing covers meeting in a line down the back, then compare the antennae, body shape, legs and markings. Metallic colors shift a lot with lighting. Beetle Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Woodland Dor Beetle's wingspan? 20-30 mm ### How big is Woodland Dor Beetle? 12-19 mm ### How long does Woodland Dor Beetle live? 365-730 days ### What does Woodland Dor Beetle eat? These amazing beetles feast on decaying plants and animal waste, helping keep our forests clean and healthy! ### Where is Woodland Dor Beetle usually found? Forests ### How many legs does Woodland Dor Beetle have? 6 ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Woodland Dor Beetle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/woodland-dor-beetle)