Sunday, June 8, 2014

Addo's Flightless Dungbeetle


The flightless dung beetle used to be found widespread in Southern Africa but these days is classified as a vulnerable species and only found in Addo Elephant National Park and a couple of other isolated spots.  The beetle is strictly dependent on a number of vertebrates (particularly elephant and buffalo) and when these animals were shot out at the end of the 1800's and beginning 1900's the poor dung beetle population took a huge knock.  These days things are slowly getting better and better for them with the increase and spreading of the elephant population in Addo and the surrounding reserves.

2 comments:

  1. we did see one on the sand dunes in the West Coast Park.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an interesting post! Great that this little flightless dung beetle is on the increase again. I love the young fingers displaying your subject!

    ReplyDelete