Dictionary

dung beetle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdʌŋ biːtəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. Any of the beetle of the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles), especially of the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae, noted for rolling dung into balls for use as food or as brooding chambers.
   • And then there are dung beetles, feces-eaters extraordinaire. The sacred dung scarab of Egypt symbolized resurrection and immortality, explaining why the ancient Egyptians often placed these beetles in tombs with the dead and why they painted dung beetle figures on their sarcophagi. 2005, Marty [Martha L.] Crump, Headless Males Make Great Lovers: And Other Unusual Natural Histories, Chicago, Ill.; London: University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 73:
   • Without dung beetles, the world would be a dirtier place. Animal dung can carry parasites and other germs that can make livestock sick. Farmers and ranchers need dung beetles to keep their pastures clean. Dung beetles clear away 80 percent of the cow manure in the whole of Texas. 2014, Emma Carlson Berne, Dung Beetles: Stronger than Ten Men! (Animal Superpowers), New York, N.Y.: PowerKiDS Press, →ISBN, page 22:
   • What do dung beetles do? Adults and larvae of dung beetles feed only on dung and therefore are not a threat to the environment. This is in contrast to some other beetles found in dung pads, (not dung beetles) which feed on vegetable and other matter besides dung, while others are carnivorous. The activity of adult dung beetles can break up the dung pad, and most species bury the dung in the ground for feeding and breeding. 1990, Marina Tyndale-Biscoe, Common Dung Beetles in Pastures of South-eastern Australia, [Collingwood, Vic.?]: Division of Entomology, CSIRO Publishing, →ISBN, page 2:
   • Some dung beetles, called rollers, use their back legs to roll dung into a smooth, tiny ball. […] The ancient Egyptians believed that the sun was rolled across the sky by a giant dung beetle named Khepri. 2010, Aaron Reynolds, The Dung Beetle Bandits, London: Raintree Publishers, →ISBN:
   • "They went in together. His was accepted and mine rejected. The title of his paper was 'The Reproductive System of the Dung-Beetle'." There was a general laugh. 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
2. Any of the true dung beetles of subfamily Scarabaeinae.

Forms

Relateds

dor · scarab

Translations (124)

izh sittapöröläin (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cho yʋlhki tonochi (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cku laiktonooni (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · tyz bung bút (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · uk лайня́р (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ar جِعْرَان (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sv dyngbagge (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · tr bok böceği (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · da møgbille (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · pl żuk gnojowy (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · hi गुबरैला (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · yue 屎殼郎 /屎壳郎 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ota بوق بوجكی (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · qu aka suntu (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · zu inkuba (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · uk гнойови́к (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sv bladhorning (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ta சாணி வண்டு (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cs hovnivál (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · mk лепешкар (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · grc βύλαρος (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nl mestkever (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ca escarabat merder (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ar جَعْل الرَوْث (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · dsb gnojowy bruk (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · da gødningsbille (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · jv kutis (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nan-tws 牛屎核 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nb gjødselbille (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · tyz binh bút (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · gsw Mistguege (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · lt mėšlavabalis (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ki nding'oing'o (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · eo sterkoskarabo (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nan-hbl 牛屎龜 /牛屎龟 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · te పేడపురుగు (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · it scarabeo stercorario (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ckv baReng (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · as গুবৰুৱা (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ga priompallán (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cmn 屎蚵螂 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sc carramerda (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · fr escarbot (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sc iscarabeu (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cmn 蜣螂 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cmn 糞金龜 /粪金龟 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ca escarabat piloter (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · grc κάνθαρος (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · af miskruier (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ja 糞虫 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · es escarabajo bolero (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sl govnač (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · de Mistkäfer (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sk lajniak (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · unm tèhtëpchehikès (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · es escarabajo pelotero (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh балегар (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · es ruedapelota (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nv chąąneiłmaasii (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ko 쇠똥구리 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · vi bọ hung (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · pt escaravelho (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · pt rola-bosta (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · za mbongjmbwt (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh балегара (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh balegar (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ang sċearnwifel (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nl strontkever (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · br bleiz-bouzel (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · fi sittisontiainen (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · pox büze vål (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nn gjødselbille (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · yue 蜣螂 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ru наво́зный жук (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · fr bousier (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cdo 牛屎龜 /牛屎龟 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sq bubuzhel (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · es ruedamierda (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ja 糞転がし (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · gd ceàrd-dubhan (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cs chrobák (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sv tordyvel (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · xh inkubabulongwe (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · et sitikas (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ar خُنْفُسَاء (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ru наво́зник (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · it geotrupe (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · syc ܚܪܦܘܫܬܐ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ko 소똥구리 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ro scarabeu (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · hi गोबरैला (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sc carrabusu (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ja フンコロガシ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · io sterko-skarabeo (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ppl kwitaululujtzin (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · it stercorario (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · uk лайня́к (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ang tordwifel (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nan-hbl 蜣螂 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh говноваљ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · km កំពូលអាចម៍ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · xh uqongqothwane class 1a/2a (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh govnovalj (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ang sċearnwibba (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · kk қиқоңыз (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cmn 屎殼郎 /屎壳郎 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · is tordýfill (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · fi sittiäinen (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · hsb hnojowy bruk (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · eo fekskarabo (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · gl bosteiro (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · pt bosteiro (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · quc tuktul achaq’ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · lv mēslvabole (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · dng сыпаню (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ota كستل (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · el σκαραβαίος (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · fr scarabée bousier (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · ko 말똥구리 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · xcl բզէզ (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · he חִפּוּשִׁית זֶבֶל (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · cy chwilen dom (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · sh balegara (insect of the family Scarabaeidae) · nan-hbl 屎龜 /屎龟 (insect of the family Scarabaeidae)