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Dung
Beetles: Sculptors on the Ground Story by Wandee Suntivutimetee Photos by Chaichana Jaruwannakorn |
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We were out in the
scorching sun-Sura Pimpasalee, an M.A. student in entomology at Khon Kaen University, our
photographer, and I-dung hunting. Our destination was a water buffalo, happily relieving
itself. A few minutes later, our awaited beetles flew in one by one, following the sure
aroma of shit. Mang kudjee, that
is, kudjee beetles or, known in English as, dung beetles, come in a variety of sizes, from
as a small as a grain of rice to as big as a large coin. A member of the order Coleoptera
and the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, the beetle also boasts a great number and equally
awesome habits. There are over 3,000 species in the world, mostly living in tropical and
temperate climates. And, unlike several other insects (including some humans), the male
dung beetle helps the female work. The mother prepares food for her young until they are
fully grown and takes care of them throughout her life. |
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These fine beetles have
made other animals, excrement their food and home for the past 180 million years, and can
be divided into dung dwellers, tunnelers, rollers, and kleptoparasites, depending on the
relationship with their edible shelters. The world definitely would be a much less
pleasant place to live in without these diligent plowers and cleaners. Australia had to
import dung beetles from Africa to take care of manure in its farms which can amount to as
many as several thousand droppings per day. Moreover, dung beetles are a safe, cheap and
clean way to decrease the population and spread of flies, worms and other germs in manure
piles that bring harmful diseases to humans and livestock. |
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Since some species are very particular about their food, feeding on the dung of only certain animals, these beetles are also a good gauge of the biodiversity of a forest. Not enough study is being done about them in Thailand, however, although Thai people have been catching, selling, and eating these useful and nutritious beetles for generations. At the end of our day, we had the opportunity to sample, first hand, kudjee beetles a la (northeastern) mode. I have to admit: they are yummy. | |
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