Sacred Scarab
OK, so you'll most likely never find this insect in your back yard, but it's definitely one of the more scary-looking bugs you could
ever come across! A member of the dung beetle family, this species is native to Africa. The name sacred scarab
comes from the ancient Egyptians, who associated these beetles with the god Re. The way the scarab rolled its ball of dung
reminded them of how the sun god rolled the light across the heavens each day.
The sacred scarab is important for the African continent because it feeds on the waste of large herbivorous mammals,
such as elephants, zebras and rhinoceros. Within 30 minutes, more than 4,000 of these beetles may be attracted to a heap of
elephant dung. These beetles can eat, bury and roll the droppings away in under two hours. Now that's fast!
