bugguide.net
Posted on 03/24/2010 8:45:10 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
After months of grueling tests, a species of horned dung beetle takes the title for world's strongest insect.
The beetle, called Onthophagus taurus, was found to be able to pull a whopping 1,141 times its own body weight, which is the equivalent of a 150-pound (70 kilogram) person lifting six full double-decker buses. While the study researcher knows of a mite that can take on a hair more, that organism is an arachnid, not an insect.
The finding, published in the current issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, does more than elevate the beetle's status, as it lends insight to questions of evolutionary biology.
Beetle basics
The beetles aren't the dung-ball-carrying variety, and instead the females bury most of the fecal material (with a little help from males) from, say, cow droppings.
The females build little tunnels where they use the dung to lay their eggs in. It's in this tunnel where mating, and the pre-mating fights between waiting males, takes place. But not all males are equipped for battle, with some sporting horns and others hornless. The no-horn beetles instead wait at the tunnel's entrance, sometimes hiding out in self-built side tunnels, and sneak in to mate before getting caught by a horned male.
The horned males, on the other hand, duke it out head-to-head.
"Their horns kind of meet on the shoulders, and they push each other backward and forward, and the guy being pushed will brace when pushed in the tunnel," Rob Knell from Queen Mary, University of London told LiveScience.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Big deal. I can still kick its butt.
One thing for certain, if he is pulling his own weight, he’s not a Democrat.
Check him for steroids...
ROTFL!!
The Dung beetles never get party invitations from other bugs.
They drink too much then start rolling their you-know-what around.
I wonder if I can get one to help me move my furniture. :)
The Contribution of Tunneling Dung Beetles to Pasture Soil Nutrition
I for one welcome our new beetle overlords
I tip my hat to the beavers of the bug world.
The beetle, called Onthophagus taurus
Never I saw the day when an insect share a name with a firearm company. Perhaps this why he is the strongest insect!
When they get crapped on,, they just smile.. the John Kerry of beetles..
Bring It On!!!
Years ago I put a june bug in a cardboard match box and took it to church. During services, my sister looked away and I put it on her knee. I only got to do it once.
This beetle is every grade school boys’ dream of bug greatness.
Where I am the dung beetles only make powerpoint slides and use buzz words.
My cousin had a nice display of bugs in her 4-H. We used to catch all kinds of stuff. I know she had a bunch of beetles being as we lived on dairy farms and all. a regular ‘Gold’s Gym’ for insects. ;-)
Never tried the church thing .. lol
We have a large red ant here in Texas that will give ‘ol poop beetle a run for his money. It’s called a Gladiator Ant by some, and a Cow Killer Ant by some folks. I don’t know what his official name is, but a 200lb man can stomp on him on fairly hard ground and he will get up, dust hisself off and go about his buisness!!
I feel certain a lot of government grant money was spent on this and all it proves is that female dung beetles are sluts.
Like ‘interface’?
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