0:00:07.235,0:00:11.185
Somewhere near you, [br]an animal is defecating.

0:00:11.185,0:00:15.576
In fact, each day, the animal kingdom [br]produces roughly enough dung

0:00:15.576,0:00:21.566
to match the volume of water pouring [br]over the Victoria Falls.

0:00:21.566,0:00:24.934
So why isn’t the planet covered [br]in the stuff?

0:00:24.934,0:00:29.244
You can thank the humble dung beetle [br]for eating up the excess.

0:00:29.244,0:00:34.568
Capable of burying 250 times [br]their body weight in a single night,

0:00:34.568,0:00:40.253
these valiant insects make[br]quick work of an endless stream of feces.

0:00:40.253,0:00:46.065
Over 7,000 known species of dung beetle [br]run clean-up duty across six continents

0:00:46.065,0:00:48.785
—everywhere except Antarctica.

0:00:48.785,0:00:51.924
A dung beetle’s first task [br]is to locate dung.

0:00:51.924,0:00:54.954
Some live on the anal regions [br]of larger animals,

0:00:54.954,0:00:57.493
ready to leap off when they defecate.

0:00:57.493,0:01:01.986
Others sniff out feces [br]that animals leave behind.

0:01:01.986,0:01:07.055
A pile of elephant dung can attract [br]4,000 beetles in 15 minutes.

0:01:07.055,0:01:08.868
So once a beetle finds dung,

0:01:08.868,0:01:12.964
it must work quickly to secure [br]some of the bounty for itself.

0:01:12.964,0:01:16.935
Most dung beetle species fall into one [br]of three main groups:

0:01:16.935,0:01:17.878
rollers,

0:01:17.878,0:01:18.749
tunnelers,

0:01:18.749,0:01:21.254
and dwellers.

0:01:21.254,0:01:25.253
Dung rollers sculpt a ball of dung,[br]and using their back legs,

0:01:25.253,0:01:28.447
quickly roll it away from competitors.

0:01:28.447,0:01:30.434
Potential partners jump on the ball,

0:01:30.434,0:01:32.975
and once the ball-maker [br]has selected their mate,

0:01:32.975,0:01:36.375
the pair dig their dung ball [br]into the soil.

0:01:36.375,0:01:41.614
Once it’s been buried, the female lays [br]a single egg within the dung ball.

0:01:41.614,0:01:43.654
Tunnelers have a different approach.

0:01:43.654,0:01:47.536
Digging underneath a pat, [br]some drag dung down into the soil

0:01:47.536,0:01:50.896
and pack it into clumps [br]known as brood balls,

0:01:50.896,0:01:52.004
dung balls,

0:01:52.004,0:01:56.305
or dung “sausages,” [br]depending on their shape and size.

0:01:56.305,0:02:00.205
Male tunnelers sport a spectacular [br]array of horns

0:02:00.205,0:02:02.595
to fight each other[br]for control of these tunnels,

0:02:02.595,0:02:06.770
which they then defend [br]until the female’s laid her egg.

0:02:06.770,0:02:12.027
Some male tunnelers avoid the fray[br]by masquerading as hornless females

0:02:12.027,0:02:16.795
and sneaking into tunnels to mate [br]while the guardians’ heads are turned.

0:02:16.795,0:02:19.355
The third group of dung beetles, dwellers,

0:02:19.355,0:02:21.634
take the most straightforward approach,

0:02:21.634,0:02:25.135
laying their eggs[br]directly into a dung pat.

0:02:25.135,0:02:28.016
This makes their offspring[br]more vulnerable to predation

0:02:28.016,0:02:30.645
than those of the tunnelers and rollers.

0:02:30.645,0:02:34.084
As the larvae feed, they riddle [br]the dung pat with tunnels,

0:02:34.084,0:02:39.754
leaving remains that are quickly colonized[br]by bacteria and fungi and weathered away.

0:02:39.754,0:02:43.896
Inside a tunnel, ball, or pat, [br]once the larvae hatch,

0:02:43.896,0:02:47.514
they consume the dung [br]before metamorphosing into a pupa

0:02:47.514,0:02:50.295
and then an adult beetle.

0:02:50.295,0:02:53.375
Besides clearing dung, [br]the actions of these beetles

0:02:53.375,0:02:56.666
have considerable ecological importance.

0:02:56.666,0:03:00.625
For one, they serve as secondary [br]seed dispersers.

0:03:00.625,0:03:02.035
Dung from monkeys,

0:03:02.035,0:03:02.894
wild pigs,

0:03:02.894,0:03:06.744
and other animals is riddled with seeds [br]from the fruits they eat.

0:03:06.744,0:03:08.875
When beetles bury their dung balls,

0:03:08.875,0:03:12.004
they inadvertently protect these seeds [br]from predators

0:03:12.004,0:03:15.086
and increase the likelihood [br]they’ll germinate.

0:03:15.086,0:03:18.494
The advantage is so great [br]that one South African plant

0:03:18.494,0:03:22.844
has evolved to produce seeds that look [br]and smell like dung

0:03:22.844,0:03:25.873
to trick beetles into burying them.

0:03:25.873,0:03:30.156
Dung beetles also play important roles [br]in agricultural systems.

0:03:30.156,0:03:34.004
Livestock, like cows and sheep,[br]produce huge amounts of dung,

0:03:34.004,0:03:37.645
which contains nutrients [br]that can benefit plants.

0:03:37.645,0:03:41.525
The beetles break up the dung [br]and tunnel it deep into the soil,

0:03:41.525,0:03:45.825
bringing the nutrients into close contact[br]with plant roots.

0:03:45.825,0:03:51.767
Their services to farmers have been valued[br]at $380 million a year in the US

0:03:51.767,0:03:56.094
and £367 million a year in the UK.

0:03:56.094,0:03:59.196
Dung beetles can even help us battle [br]global warming

0:03:59.196,0:04:03.476
by reducing greenhouse gas emissions[br]associated with farming.

0:04:03.476,0:04:06.796
Microbes living in oxygen-poor [br]livestock dung

0:04:06.796,0:04:10.685
produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

0:04:10.685,0:04:14.175
But beetles oxygenate pats when [br]they tunnel into them,

0:04:14.175,0:04:17.624
preventing the microbes[br]from producing methane.

0:04:17.624,0:04:19.525
The dung beetle spreads seeds,

0:04:19.525,0:04:20.594
helps farmers,

0:04:20.594,0:04:22.435
and fights climate change

0:04:22.435,0:04:26.675
—and accomplishes it all[br]simply by doing its business.

0:04:26.675,0:04:30.465
Maybe next time you come across [br]some dung in the forest or a field,

0:04:30.465,0:04:32.945
you’ll be tempted to take a closer look.