Dung beetles prefer dog poop, but their children pay the price

The ‘accumulation of domestic dog waste … may pose a widespread but underappreciated risk to urban dung beetles’, new research has foundUpdated - August 29, 2026 11:42 am IST

Dung beetles are pivotal to many terrestrial ecosystems.

| Photo Credit: File photo

Dung beetles are humble insects. They feed on the faeces of other mammals. In many species, a male dung beetle flies to a fresh pile of dung, shapes a piece of it into a ball, and quickly rolls it away from the pile so others don’t grab it.Reputedly, male dung beetles have rolled dung balls a thousand-times heavier than their own body weight. Published - August 28, 2026 09:00 am IST

Dung beetles prefer dog poop, but their children pay the price

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