great scene on Kenya safari

Cheetah on a hunting mission, the timing has to be perfect.
Otherwise, it will miss it's prey.For all those on a
Kenya wildlife tour, be ready such encounters....with patience
off course.

Beetle

Dung beetles also  referred to as the scarab beetle. All of these species belong to the super family Scarabaeoidea. Many dung beetles, known as rollers, are noted for rolling dung into spherical balls, which are used as a food source or brooding chambers.

 Other dung beetles, known as tunnelers, bury the dung wherever they find it. A third group, the dwellers, neither roll nor burrow: they simply live in manure. They are usually attracted by the dung burrowing owls collect. Dung beetles live in many different habitats, including desert, farmland, forest, and grasslands.

Dung beetles eat dung excreted by herbivores and omnivores, and prefer that produced by the former. Many of them also feed on mushrooms and decaying leaves and fruits. Most dung beetles search for dung using their sensitive sense of smell. Some of the smaller species simply attach themselves to the dung-providers to wait for their reward.

Sometimes dung beetles will try to steal the dung ball of another beetle, so the dung beetles have to move rapidly away from a dung pile once they have rolled their ball to prevent it from being stolen. Dung beetles can roll up to 50 times their weight. Male can pull 1,141 times their own body weight: the equivalent of an average person pulling six double-decker buses full of people.

 The "rollers" roll and bury a dung ball either for food storage or for making a brooding ball. In the  some case, two beetles, one male and one female, will be seen around the dung ball during the rolling process. Usually it is the male that rolls the ball, with the female hitch-hiking or simply following behind. When a spot with soft soil is found, they stop and bury the dung ball.

They will then mate underground. After the mating, both or one of them will prepare the brooding ball. When the ball is finished, the female lays eggs inside it. The dung beetle goes through a complete metamorphosis.

Dung beetles play a remarkable role in agriculture,as they improve nutrient recycling and soil structure. They also protect livestock, such as cattle, by removing the dung which, if left, could provide habitat for pests such as flies. Like many other insects, in China,it  is used in Chinese herbal medicine. Several species of the dung beetle, enjoyed a sacred status among the ancient Egyptians. The scarab was linked to "Khepri", the god of the rising sun.


By  Kenya safari holiday desk

Natural Track Safaris

Masai mara

Masai ostritch spotted in the plains of masai mara game reserve.