Dung beetles in Africa feed on the droppings of large mammals, usually forming a huge ball that they roll over the ground. Now a team of researchers from South Africa and Sweden has identified a practical use in transporting these wastes: keeping your body cool, since it places them at some distance from the hot sand.
– Beetles climb to the top of their dung balls when their front legs and head get overheated ?, explains Marcus Byrne, a researcher at the University of Wits (South Africa), who adds that this happens especially at midday , when the sun is at its highest point and "hits" with more force. To see if that was the reason why they went up, they put on silicone boots to keep them safe from the heat. From that moment on, the tendency to climb on the ball of excrement practically disappeared.
This is the first time that an insect has been detected using a mobile element to protect itself from extreme external temperatures, according to the scientists in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology .
