02/07/2025
Ever wondered who is cleaning up after Africa's iconic giants? 🐘🐃🦏
I present to you a small but no less important inhabitant of Addo Elephant National Park ( ): the flightless dung beetle (Circellium bacchus). 💩🪲😊📷
These specific busy beetles are endemic to South Africa. They form so called brood balls from elephant and other large herbivore dung. They use their strong hind legs standing on their front legs to roll their round masterpieces weighing up to 50-80 times their body weight to a safe location. After burying them underground these balls serve as a food source and a place for their babies to grow. This behavior not only helps the beetle but also helps recycle nutrients and improves soil health.
I took the photo within a gated, secured rest area in Addo Elephant National Park, laying on the ground with my tele-lens, watching this surprisingly fast walking beetle cross the road. 😊
➡️ Swipe to see its strong hind legs and stunning orange markings on its body.
Unfortunately, I didn't see it rolling any dung, but it was quite busy crossing the road—maybe on its way to roll some good ol' 💩.
