Three Types

• Dung beetles subspecies are divided into three types: rollers, tunnelers and dwellers. Rollers are mostly found in tropical locations. These beetles dig a burrow near the dung. Females stay inside to dig the burrows while males go out the gather dung. The males roll the dung into balls up to 50 times their weight and bring them to the burrow. The female puts the dung balls into separate areas of the burrow and lays a single egg on each.
  
  Tunnelers are able to fly. They fly around until they spot an appetizing fecal patty. Then the female tunnels into the dung, laying eggs in three or four sections of the tunnel. When the eggs hatch, the larvae eat their way out of the dung. Dwellers don't just lay eggs inside the dung. They make it their home, living as much of their lives as possible inside the dung.
  
  

Common Dung Beetles

• Dor beetles may be the most common dung beetle. This type is a tunneler. It is commonly found in central and northern Europe pastures. This beetle prefers the dung of horses. Minotaur Beetles and tumble bugs are rollers. They prefer the dung of sheep and the conveniently rounded waste from rabbits.
  
  

Diet

• Most of the fecal matter in the world is produced by large herbivores: cows, sheep, wildebeest and other animals that graze on greens. Grasses and greens may not be completely digested in some animals like cows. A cow's waste is comprised of bits of undigested grasses along with liquid waste. Dung beetles feed on the liquid waste, which contains micro-organisms the beetles are able to digest.
  
  

Environmental Impact

• As disgusting as their diet sounds, the dung beetle's eating habits are beneficial to the environment. They are particularly beneficial in pastures where large herbivores feed. The beetles remove the waste by eating it or burying it in their tunnels. This keeps the fields from being overly soiled, which can inhibit plant growth and provide breeding grounds for pests such as flies. One species of dung beetle introduced in Texas in the 1970s is responsible for removing 80 percent of the cattle droppings on some ranches.