Scarabaeus sacer is the species of dung beetle that most commonly occurs in the Mediterranean Basin, which is the beetle depicted as the god Khepri. This type of beetle gathers dung and rolls it into a ball, and then discovers a suitable location to deposit it's treasure. This is usually an underground chamber and after the beetle moves the dung ball here, it either ingests the dung or lays an egg on it (5). In the latter case, the dung serves as a source of nutrients for the larva of the beetle after it hatches. The scarab beetle lays only a single relatively large egg, which is very uncharacteristic for most insects. In fact, this species of dung beetle may produce only six or so young in her entire life!
This species of beetle is the most well known because of it's association with ancient Egyptian culture; however, even without these interesting cultural parallels between natural biology and the creation of a deity, the Scarab beetle is worthy of attention based on it's own unique life stages alone (and it's ability to make the best out of a crappy situation, haha).
This species of beetle is the most well known because of it's association with ancient Egyptian culture; however, even without these interesting cultural parallels between natural biology and the creation of a deity, the Scarab beetle is worthy of attention based on it's own unique life stages alone (and it's ability to make the best out of a crappy situation, haha).
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Here is a diagram illustrating the life-cycle of the Dung Beetle. As you can see, there is quite a lot of variation in the amount of time it takes for the adult beetle to emerge! There is variation in life stages even for insects.
Here is a great video from National Geographic (8) that highlights the importance of the scarab beetle to the ancient Egyptians; it also illustrates the beetle rolling the dung to its final location using it's very strong hind legs! Additionally, we learn how crucial these creatures are from an environmental perspective; they are responsible for waste disposal and soil aeration, which ultimately allows for better loam and limits the amount of flies that typically inhabit these areas.