Plum dung beetle
Chalconotus convexus
About plum dung beetles
They may be small, but plum dung beetles play a huge role in keeping the African savannah clean and healthy.
These beetles feed on the dung of large herbivores like zebras, rhinos and antelope—breaking it down, burying it, and recycling nutrients back into the soil. It’s nature’s clean-up crew in action.
When it’s time to lay her eggs, a female beetle uses her specially adapted front legs to shape a ball of fresh dung. She then rolls it to a safe spot, buries it, and lays her eggs inside. This gives her larvae both shelter and a ready-made food source when they hatch.
By doing all this, dung beetles help keep ecosystems in balance—supporting soil health and preventing waste from building up.
Plum dung beetle facts
Threats
Human intervention
Dung beetle diversity and abundance is declining in areas where human livestock receive regular veterinary medications such as de-wormers, as these are often toxic to the beetles.
Climate change and severe weather
A changing climate is causing droughts in some parts of Africa, leading herbivores to decline or move elsewhere in search of enough food and water, leaving dung beetles without a food source.
Agriculture
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