Dung Beetles

Dung beetles are beetles that thrive in pastures, and both live in and eat dung (poo from cows and other animals) and are very important for the environment. Dung beetles break down organic matter, plant cow dung and convert it into nutrients for the soil. Thus, it also helps to reduce methane emissions in the environment [1].

Both larvae and adults live in dung, but different types prefer various environments and conditions. They can live in forests, open pastures, dry and sandy soils, and in dung from specific animals, such as only cows, horses or sheep. Some dung beetles are heat-dependent, favouring sunny locations [2].

Due to a lack of habitat and too few cows, dung beetles are endangered [1]. They are also threatened by chemicals and pharmaceuticals increasing in the dung, affecting dung beetle larvae [3].

Key Functions

● Grazing fields

● Transforming dung into nutrients

● Food for other animals

Threat

● Industrialised livestock

● Fewer and poorer grazing lands

● Reduction of habitats

● Chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the dung

Common species

We estimate that there are about 7,000 different species of dung beetles in the World. In Sweden alone, about 70 species.

Sources

1. Earth.com – Dung beetles may sound gross, but here’s why they’re important to ecosystems 
2. Britannica – Dung beetles and their habitat 
3. Western Newland – The endangered climate fighter that eats excrement – the life of dung beetles is documented in Hankö 

_{May 2022, TÄNKOM | Revised January 2024 RETHINK}