dung beetle
nounDefinition of dung beetle
: a beetle (such as a tumblebug) that rolls balls of dung in which to lay eggs and on which the larvae feed
Examples of dung beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some antiparasite treatments in cattle can harm dung beetles, for example. — Gretchen Vogel, Science | AAAS, "€100 million German insect protection plan will protect habitats, restrict weed killers, and boost research," 6 Sep. 2019 In the new movie, the tuft has an even wilder journey, nabbing multiple minutes of screen time as it gets consumed by a giraffe, becomes part of a dung beetle’s haul and is carried by ants before Rafiki finds it. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Here's How the New Lion King Is Different From the Original," 17 July 2019 And now Dacke has discovered yet another tool in the same dung beetle’s sensory array. — Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "Dung beetles have a surprisingly sophisticated way of navigating the world," 24 June 2019 In ancient Egypt, the most important amulet was the scarab, usually modeled after the common Egyptian dung beetle, Scarabaeus sacer. — National Geographic, "6 surprisingly lucky animals around the world," 13 Mar. 2019 Using scent detectors on their antennae, dung beetles home in on a pile of feces and descend en masse. — Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "Dung beetles have a surprisingly sophisticated way of navigating the world," 24 June 2019 But Australian dung beetles were used to recycling marsupial dung and could not tackle the cow chips. — Anne Sverdrup-thygeson, WSJ, "The Bugs We Can’t Live Without," 20 June 2019 And a scarab ring (which held amuletic powers in ancient Egypt) features iridescent wings crafted from, what else, but the actual wings of a dung beetle. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Jeweler Bibi van der Velden Converted a Church Gymnasium Into an Elegant Family Home," 21 Aug. 2018 In the right light and aspect, dung beetles are strikingly colorful and, yes, beautiful creatures. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "For hunters, South Texas colors a feast for the senses," 3 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dung beetle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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