Beetles, beetles, beetles, they are everywhere, but is their such a thing as a beetle that can roll up to fifty times their size of  decaying matter in the form of a ball? Yes, the Aphodius militaris does the exact thing. The pasture cockchafer is normally found in parts of Mexico and North America. They adapt well in rough areas because they use their hard shell as protection.  You know you have found one if it has a reddish-brown tone and has a dull yellow marking on the elytra. They are usually 4-5.7 millimeters long. The pasture cockchafer is a fascinating creature that is important to the environment and our lives.

What is like to be a pasture cockchafer? The pasture cockchafer is a rodent dung specialist. This meaning, they can get rid of wastes left by rodents or small animals. They can live in virtually any type of environment as long as they have their sturdy shell on their back for protection. There is an unknown amount of this type of dung specialist because people aren’t familiar with its coloration or exact population. We do know however, that the population of dung beetles is growing each and every day.

The dung beetle has a huge role in the food web. Their role in the food web is a decomposer. They decompose raw, decaying matter in their area by gathering and rolling it together to ingest. They are extremely attracted by dung owls will collect and they may try to steal them. Its only competition for food is other dung beetles. Although, they still have to evade being eaten by bats, birds, reptiles, and other larger insects. They hide in burrows, holes, and small ditches to hide from being eaten by those predators.

I learned and discovered a lot about Aphodius militaris. I never knew how strong they are due to the fact they have to role large balls of dung or decayed matter to feed their families. I also learned how smart they were. They have the ability to dig deep burrows to hide in or hide food. What stood out to me was that they can live up to three full years!! That is a long time for the life span of an insect.  I also found it interesting that dung beetles were once worshipped by Egyptians.

Aphodius militaris is important to its environment. They recycle wastes and animal feces. They adapt well in areas because they have a hard outer shell and the ability to dig in the ground to form burrows. I think dung beetles are extremely important animals, especially the pasture cockchafer.

Author: Morgan H.
Date Published: 2/25/2012

Sources: Dung Beetles by: Andrew Hipp, www.bugguide.com, www.museum.unl.edu,  www.wikianswers.com, www.fcps.edu,  www.biokids.umich.edu
Picture Credit: http://bugguide.net/node/view/221353