The Dung Beetles

Beetles make up the largest order in the whole animal kingdom, approximately 300,000 species have been discovered. Dung beetle belongs to the family scarabaeidae together with rhino beetles. In Africa there are about 2000 species of dung beetles. Dung beetles were associated with resurrection in ancient Egypt, due to their behavior of burying dung and themselves and reemerging a couple of months later. Symbols of dung beetle were therefore placed in tombs in the belief that the deceased will be resurrected. Males carry horns, which serve the function of impressing females. 

The front part of the tooth is toothless; this serrated edge is used to cut out dung. The front arms are toothed and used as digging instruments. The thorax is well developed to aid in flying and digging. Dung beetle have antennae, which are covered with sensory organs, these are fanned out are used by beetle to smell the air for dung. The mount parts are highly adapted to feeding on dung, they act like a filtering brush when feeding, discarding the unwanted bits. The hind legs are bowed and longer for ball rolling.

Males usually initiate ball rolling in the ball rolling type. After cutting the ball away, he moves away from the pile of dung and secrets a pheromone to attract the female. once a female have been attracted by the scent ,she will make some adjustments to the dung ball and then either follow the  follow the male, or perch on top of the ball.  In doing so the female, conserves much needed energy for the brood stage .a suitable site is located, often under a bush and the dung ball is buried. At this stage, mating takes places over  a period of two to three days. 

The male then abandons the brood and then returns to normal activities. The females takes the ball apart and removes the sticks ,stones ,etc and rebuilds it, leaving  a chimney in the top of the ball vents for the larvae, which digs down into the ball and breathe through  the event .larvae emerges and remain  in the dung ball for four to five months until the dung beetle finally emerges.

The females feeds on fungus growing on the dung ball, this serves to clean the ball. The larvae do not defecate in the ball, they store their feaces in a fermentation chamber and use the fermented dung to plaster their ball as it begins to show signs of weakness. Dung beetles are divided in four main types namely; telecoprids , paracoprids, endocoprids and kleptocoprids.The rollers (telecoprids) make up only 10%of dung beetles found In Africa. They get balls of dung away from the dung heap as quickly as possible to avoid the competition, sometimes it takes only thirty seconds to cut out a suitable ball. Some of these balls roll a food ball and a separate and lager brood ball. Most roll backward, some forwards.

The tunnellers (paracoprids)are active during the early evening and night. They emerge from the ground  and can measure light intensity, once the desired conditions are present and the beetle emerges like a rocket and searches for food. Once located it tunnels under the dung  and constructs a series  of tunnels under heap into  which it rounded balls of dung  are stored and used. The dwellers (endocoprids) live in the dung heap itself and also cut out balls of dung. These species are well adapted to cold, dry conditions where the ground is hard. kleptocoprids steal other dung beetles balls and roll them as their own.

Dung beetles are of great significance since they constructs tunnels network underground, this aerates the ground .They fertilize the ground by spreading the dung out and burying it. They also prevent flies and maggots and other parasites from breeding  in the dung, in vast numbers by dispersing it within a couple of hours, thus preventing the spread of deadly diseases. They also control human feaces where about 40,000 tons of waste are buried by dung beetles. Livestock also dependent  on dung beetles, which protect them against flies ,parasites like worms ,and against ticks.

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The tallest animal on earth

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. The average mass for an adult male giraffe is 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb) while the average mass for an adult female is 830 kilograms (1,800 lb).It is approximately 4.3 metres (14 ft) to 5.2 metres (17 ft) tall, Giraffe gestation lasts between 400 and 460 days (13-15 months). 

The giraffe is related to other even-toed ungulates, such as deer and cattle, but is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting of only the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi, and their extinct relatives. Both sexes have prominent horns, formed from ossified cartilage, and known as ossicones. The appearance of horns is a reliable method of identifying the sex of giraffes, with the females displaying tufts of hair on the top of the horns, whereas males' horns are larger and tend to be bald on top — the hairs worn away due to necking in combat. Males sometimes develop calcium deposits which form bumps on their skull as they age, which can give the appearance of up to three additional horns. 

Giraffes also have slightly elongated forelegs, about 10% longer than their hind legs, and can reach a sprint speed of up to 60 km/h (37 mph)The giraffe is briefly airborne when running.A single well-placed kick from an adult giraffe can kill a predator. Lions are the only predators which pose a serious threat to an adult giraffe. Most attacks on giraffes occur at watering holes, when the bent-over animals are at their most vulnerable and least attentive. Giraffes usually sleep standing up but do lie down occasionally. Giraffes also have slightly elongated forelegs, about 10% longer than their hind legs, and can reach a sprint speed of up to 60 km/h (37 mph)

The giraffe is briefly airborne when running.A single well-placed kick from an adult giraffe can kill a predator. Lions are the only predators which pose a serious threat to an adult giraffe. Most attacks on giraffes occur at watering holes, when the bent-over animals are at their most vulnerable and least attentive. Giraffes usually sleep standing up but do lie down occasionally. While giraffes are usually found in groups, the composition of these groups is more fluid than in other social ungulates. They are a largely transient species with few strong social bonds and aggregations usually disband every few hours, although calving groups can last weeks to months. Giraffe groups can range from over 40 individuals to only a few individuals with the latter being more common. Female giraffes associate in groups of a dozen or so members, occasionally including a few younger males. 

Calves and sub-adults are rarely alone. Giraffe groups with young tend to feed in more open areas, presumably to provide better visibility to detect predators. This may reduce their feeding efficiency. Reproduction is broadly polygamous, with a few older males impregnating the fertile females. Male giraffes determine female fertility by tasting the female's urine in order to detect estrus, in a multi-step process known as the Flehmen response. During courtship, dominant males will displace subordinates from the presence of the females, by staring and walking towards them. Thus the female prolongs the courtship process for as long as possible so only the most dominant male remains and copulation will follow. Although generally quiet and non-vocal, giraffes have been heard to communicate with various sounds. Courting males will emit loud coughs. Females will call their young by whistling or bellowing. Calves will bleat, moo, or make mewing sounds. In addition, giraffes will grunt, snort, hiss, or make strange flute-like sounds. The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which averages 4.5 or 4.6 hours per 24 hours. Giraffes browse on the twigs of trees, preferring trees of the genera Acacia, Commiphora and Terminalia, and also eat grass and fruit. The tongue, lips and palate are tough, which allows them to feed on trees with sharp thorns.Despite its long neck, the giraffe has only seven vertebrae, exactly the same number as man and most other mammals. Even though giraffes are often seen together in groups, they do not form the complex social groups of many plains species. Theirs are loose associations, constantly changing in make-up.

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