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Somewhere near you, [br]an animal is defecating.

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In fact, each day, the animal kingdom [br]produces roughly enough dung

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to match the volume of water pouring [br]over the Victoria Falls.

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So why isn’t the planet covered [br]in the stuff?

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You can thank the humble dung beetle [br]for eating up the excess.

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Capable of burying 250 times [br]their body weight in a single night,

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these valiant insects make[br]quick work of an endless stream of feces.

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Over 7,000 known species of dung beetle [br]run clean up duty across six continents

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—everywhere except Antarctica.

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A dung beetle’s first task [br]is to locate dung.

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Some live on the anal regions [br]of larger animals,

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ready to leap off when they defecate.

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Others sniff out feces [br]that animals leave behind.

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A pile of elephant dung can attract [br]4,000 beetles in 15 minutes,

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so once a beetle finds dung,

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it must work quickly to secure [br]some of the bounty for itself.

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Most dung beetle species fall into one [br]of three main groups:

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rollers,

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tunellers,

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and dwellers.

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Dung rollers sculpt a ball of dung,[br]and using their back legs,

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quickly roll it away from competitors.

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Potential partners jump on the ball,

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and once the ball-maker [br]has selected their mate,

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the pair dig their dung ball [br]into the soil.

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Once it’s been buried, the female lays [br]a single egg within the dung ball.

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Tunnellers have a different approach.

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Digging underneath a pat, [br]some drag dung down into the soil,

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and, pack it into clumps [br]known as Brood Balls,

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Dung Balls,

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or Dung “Sausages” [br]depending on their shape and size.

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Male tunnellers sport a spectacular [br]array of horns

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to fight each other[br]for control of these tunnels,

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which they then defend [br]until the female’s laid her egg.

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Some male tunnellers avoid the fray[br]by masquerading as hornless females

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and sneaking into tunnels to mate [br]while the guardians’ heads are turned.

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The third group of dung beetles, dwellers,

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take the most straightforward approach,

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laying their eggs[br]directly into a dung pat.

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This makes their offspring[br]more vulnerable to predation

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than those of the tunnellers and rollers.

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As the larvae feed, they riddle [br]the dung pat with tunnels,

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leaving remains that are quickly colonized[br]by bacteria and fungi and weathered away.

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Inside a tunnel, ball, or pat, [br]once the larvae hatch,

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they consume the dung [br]before metamorphosing into a pupa

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and then an adult beetle.

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Besides clearing dung, [br]the actions of these beetles

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have considerable ecological importance.

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For one, they serve as secondary [br]seed dispersers.

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Dung from monkeys,

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wild pigs,

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and other animals is riddled with seeds [br]from the fruits they eat.

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When beetles bury their dung balls,

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they inadvertently protect these seeds [br]from predators

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and increase the likelihood [br]they’ll germinate.

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The advantage is so great [br]that one South African plant

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has evolved to produce seeds that look [br]and smell like dung

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to trick beetles into burying them.

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Dung beetles also play important roles [br]in agricultural systems.

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Livestock like cows and sheep[br]produce huge amounts of dung,

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which contains nutrients [br]that can benefit plants.

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The beetles break up the dung [br]and tunnel it deep into the soil,

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bringing the nutrients into close contact[br]with plant roots.

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Their services to farmers have been valued[br]at $380 million a year in the US

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and £367 million a year in the UK.

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Dung beetles can even help us battle [br]global warming

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by reducing greenhouse gas emissions[br]associated with farming.

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Microbes living in oxygen-poor [br]livestock dung

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produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

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But beetles oxygenate pats when [br]they tunnel into them,

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preventing the microbes[br]from producing methane.

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The dung beetle spreads seeds,

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helps farmers,

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and fights climate change,

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—and accomplishes it all[br]simply by doing its business.

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Maybe next time you come across [br]some dung in the forest or a field,

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you’ll be tempted to take a closer look.