00:00Poop.
00:01It smells, it's gross, and we usually don't want anything to do with it.
00:04But today on Spineless Marvels, we're going to dig deep into the world of the famous dung
00:09beetle.
00:23You guys have probably heard the term, you are what you eat.
00:26Well that's absolutely true for the dung beetle.
00:28These interesting insects fly around looking for manure from large herbivores like elephants
00:33or cattle.
00:36You see, we don't always digest all the nutrients in our food.
00:39And herbivores don't digest their food very well.
00:42Their dung contains half-digested grass and a smelly liquid, and it's the liquid that
00:46the adult beetles feed on.
00:48And that's a delicious buffet for an animal like the dung beetle.
00:51And dung beetles aren't the only animals that eat dung.
00:54Gorillas, monkeys, dogs, cats, and many other animals do as well.
00:59It's a great way for animals to get extra fuel from their food.
01:01This process of eating feces is called coprophagy.
01:05Dung beetles are found on all continents except for Antarctica.
01:09They live in farmland, forests, grasslands, prairies, and deserts.
01:13And they come in a variety of different colors and sizes.
01:16In the wild, dung beetles will search for these leftover treasures.
01:19But here at the zoo, we deliver.
01:29Too hard.
01:31Too stale.
01:34Just right!
01:36Chris, order up!
01:38Hey Gary, what you got?
01:39How's this?
01:40Ooh, that's awesome!
01:41Better start rolling.
01:42All right, thanks man.
01:44Now after we get the new fresh dung, we remove and sort through the old stuff.
01:47We don't want to throw away any beetles that might be hiding in it.
01:52Then we mix up the new dung with a little bit of water.
01:59And a few minutes later, we've got a fresh new dung pile, perfect for the dung beetles
02:03to get dirty.
02:07Scientists group dung beetles by the way that the beetles make a living.
02:10You have rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers.
02:13Rollers form a bit of dung into a ball, roll it away, and bury it.
02:17The balls that they make are used by the females to lay eggs, and serve as food for
02:21the larvae as they grow up.
02:23No, I said you roll the dung balls, not the dung beetles.
02:26Why are you rolling each other?
02:27No, no, no, no, roll the dung!
02:30Ah, there you go.
02:34Tunnelers land near a manure pile, tunnel into the ground, and underneath the poop from below.
02:38What are you doing?
02:40Dig in!
02:41Ah, they keep falling down.
02:42Are these the right beetles?
02:43Don't just trip over everything.
02:45Dig!
02:45Ah, there we go.
02:48And dwellers are content to stay inside the dung to lay their eggs and raise their young.
02:52Ooh, it rhymes.
02:53Woo!
02:56Woo!
02:57Woo!
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