Identification
Scientific Name:
Scarabaeus sacer
Common Names:
Egyptian scarab, dung beetle, scarab beetle, ball roller, sacred scarab

Classification
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Scarabaeus
Species: sacer

 

The designation sacred scarab comes from the fact that the ancient Egyptians associated this dung beetle to the god Re. The insect rolling its ball reminded them of the sun god rolling the light across the heavens each day.
  

Habitat
This insect occurs just about everywhere on the African continent, from the deserts of Egypt all the way to the South African savannas.

Profile
The sacred scarab is part of the large beetle subfamily known as "dung beetles." They are coprophagous, which means they feed on the excreta, or dung, of large herbivorous mammals, such as zebras, dromedaries, rhinoceros, etc. They are sturdy, opportunistic insects. They have to be. They never know when or where their next meal will come from!
 
A sacred scarab is made like a tiny power ram. The tip of its head is bordered with a serrated rim which it uses to cut out pieces of dung. Its broad, flattened forelegs serve as trowels to shape the dung into balls and its long, thin hind legs hold the ball in place while the beetle rolls it away, propelling itself backwards with its robust forelegs.
 
By rolling its ball away from the food source, and from the reach of other beetles, the sacred scarab will be able to bury and enjoy it at its leisure In some cases, a male and a female will join forces at a dung pat to form a brood ball. The female can then mate and fashion the ball so that she can deposit her eggs in it. The resulting larva need only feed on the nutritious nest matter. A few months later, a brand new sacred scarab will emerge from the ground, as if my magic.

Within 30 minutes, more than 4 000 dung beetles may be attracted to a heap of elephant droppings. These beetles will eat, bury and roll this 1.5 kg " minor habitat " away in under two hours.
  

A ball roller weighing 5 grams can roll a 250 g ball at a speed of 20 cm per second.
  

The ancient Egyptians associated the sacred scarab to the concept of immortality. By coming out of the depths of the earth, did a scarab beetle not prove that it was able to escape from the kingdom of the dead?