For the Lowly Dung Beetle, Life Doesn't Always Stink

[Narrator] There are two types of critters in this world.

Those that ride the turd, and those that push it.

The dung beetle is both, actually.

Here the male pushes, and the female clings for dear life.

The elephant in the room, or should I say

elephant turd in the room.

Dung beetles eat the poo of all kinds of herbivores.

Lots of it, and pretty much exclusively.

When they happen upon the bounty

that is an elephant dropping,

it's every beetle for itself.

Males use their faces to slice up the dung,

sculpting it into balls.

This the females find irresistible of course.

If the male's dung ball suites her, she'll climb aboard.

It's like giving her a bouquet of flowers,

only it's nothing at all like that.

Now begins the real work for the male,

who stands on his front legs,

and pushes the scatological sphere with his hind legs.

Complicating matters is the fact that other males

will try to muscle in and steal his ball,

and along with it, his girlfriend.

Should our hero find a good place to bury the dung,

he'll mate with the female,

who will insert her eggs into the safety of the ball.

Then he's off to find more poop, and more females.

Not such a crappy job after all.

Okay, nevermind.

Still pretty crappy.