Why We Need Dung Beetles

Every day, millions of tonnes of animal waste hit the ground across the world's grasslands. By the next morning, most of it is gone. Not dissolved by rain. Not broken down by bacteria. Something else got there first, and it works on a schedule most people have never noticed. This is the story of the invisible system that keeps the world's pastures clean, and what happened when an entire continent accidentally broke it. We’re also live on Spotify 🎧 https://open.spotify.com/show/033YArO... Sources: Dacke, M., Baird, E., Byrne, M., Scholtz, C.H. & Warrant, E.J. (2013). "Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way for Orientation." Current Biology, 23(4), 298-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.12... Moczek, A.P. & Emlen, D.J. (2000). "Male horn dimorphism in the scarab beetle Onthophagus taurus: do alternative reproductive tactics favour alternative phenotypes?" Animal Behaviour, 59(2), 459-466. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1342 Bornemissza, G.F. (1976). "The Australian dung beetle project 1965-1975." Australian Meat Research Committee Review, 30, 1-30. Nichols, E., Spector, S., Louzada, J., Larsen, T., Amezquita, S. & Favila, M.E. (2008). "Ecological functions and ecosystem services provided by Scarabaeinae dung beetles." Biological Conservation, 141(6), 1461-1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008... #dungbeetles #wildlife #naturalhistory #ecology #sleepdocumentary #sleeponwildlife #nature