Hot Bed of Activity!

Now we were passed the dam and heading to the north on the Onion Trail.

A view of the Rolling Plains and our trail.
Dried scat!
A Black Vulture was observing us.

Here it was, waving to me, a pile of poop. Well, of course to be friendly I stopped for a closer look!

And why did the pile wave? It was proud of all the dung beetles and rainbow scarabs it was hosting!
A wet pile only had flies (Diptera).
A close up of the tinier fly.
The second pile was seen on the return trip. I counted at least six of the Rainbow Scarabs and four or five of the dark dung beetles!

Goodness it was a hot bed of activity!

So the next time you pass by a pile of scat, slow down. You might find some great animals!

The Early Bird Got the Cicada, Then an Evolutionary Air War Started

Pollination by wild bumblebees Thanks Suzanne!

Keep looking!

The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know

10 Comments

  1. You’re welcome – I agree it’s a great video. And I’d love to visit that prairie in Wisconsin where it was recorded!

  2. I thought I had Rainbow Scarabs but when it got identified I have its cousin that has no common name. I have Phanaeus difformis. Just doesn’t sound as cute or pretty. Was told they are hard to tell apart. Guess I will call it Rainbow Scarab Cousin.

    1. I actually know about the two hard to tell apart species. However please note that I didn’t mention the scientific name because I was not about to look at them that close while they played in the poop. So I was just loosely using the name. 🤷🏻‍♀️

  3. A little too hands on? Do you think the poop piles might be hog? Especially the one with “waving to me” on the caption and the wet pile?

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