Dung beetles are one of the most efficient members of Africa’s clean-up crew. With so many animals residing in the bushveld, there is always an excess of dung- and the hard-working dung beetle doesn’t waste any time when it comes to scooping it up. The beetles carefully roll the dung into a tightly knit ball which is then transformed into a nutrient-rich crèche for its young. The quality of the dung nursery has a major effect on the young beetle within so the hard work it takes to make a good ball pays off.
Up Next in Season 1
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WN08 Dung Beetles Fighting For Balls
The dung beetle may seem humble but this small creature has a much darker side. Fighting between beetles for dung balls is rife with opponents always looking for an easy steal. Piles of dung are hotspot of intense competition, dirty tricks and outright robbery. Rolling the perfect ball and hangin...
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WN09 Big Bull African Elephants
When male elephants reach sexual maturity they become extremely competitive and aggressive- this new behaviour causes changes in the relationship with their matriarchal herd and as a result, the young males are eventually forced to leave and form their own bachelor herd. When these male elephants...
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WN10 Elephant Communication
Elephants have a highly social language system that involves all of their sense and more than 70 different calls. Low-frequency calls can be heard over ten kilometres away which give notice to other elephants in the area regarding movement, direction and territory whilst more immediate calls comm...
