giant bettle, beetles

The size of a dung beetle varies from species to species. The "dwellers" are usually small and elongate. Dung beetles are basically black, brown or purplish yellow in color; some are of metallic luster, especially the tropical species. Most dung beetles have a flattened, but stout body. The male of some species has horns at the head or thorax. Some dung beetles, other than the "dwellers", have strong, often "toothed" legs specialised for rolling dung and burrowing. The tarsi at the forelegs of an old dung beetle are usually damaged or lost owing to the labor of burrowing - some species do not have tarsi at the forelegs at all. The desert species also have hair on the legs which facilitates their movement on sand. Dung beetles have soft mouthparts suited to their diet.