Bradford P. Ward  -  Children's Book Author
  • Welcome
    • From the Author
  • Parents and Teachers
    • Pre-Reading Activities
    • S.T.E.M. Activity Ideas and S.T.E.M. Education >
      • S.T.E.M. Activities to Complement Cockroach of Meadowfield >
        • Stop Motion Animation
        • Design an Insect Trap
        • Making Bug Robots
        • Pollination Project
    • Reading Activities for: 'A Pilgrimage of Pests' >
      • The Brownings
      • The Great Cold
      • The Warming Times
    • Reading Activities for: "The Great Cicada Ball" >
      • Deadlines
      • The Gates Open
      • The Finale
    • Reading Activities for "Heroes of Meadowfield" >
      • Search Parties
      • The Loomers
      • Revolution
    • The Moth Catcher: Cryptic Coloration
    • Metamorphosis Activity
    • Insect Picture Library
    • Mapping Meadowfield
  • Young Reader Pages
    • Bug Games to Play
    • A Pilgrimage of Pests >
      • Worker 1200
      • Cockroach
      • Silverfish
      • Praying Mantis
      • Glowworm
      • Old Yellow Fat
      • Stinkbug
      • Grand-Daddy Long Legs
      • Book Louse
      • Acorn Weevil
    • The Great Cicada Ball >
      • Water Strider
      • Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
      • Stag Beetle
      • Robber Fly
      • Luna Moth
      • Earwig
      • Goliath Beetle
      • Ra
      • Dung Beetle
      • Periodical Cicada
    • Heroes of Meadowfield >
      • Forager Bee
      • Bombardier Beetle
      • Scout Bee
      • Cicada Killer Wasp
      • Queen Bee
      • The Hive
  • Windward ArtWorks
    • Framed Sea Glass Pictures
    • Ceramic Plant Sconces >
      • Cone Sconce Style Large
      • Cone Sconce Style Small
      • Round Sconce Style Large
      • Round Sconce Style Small
  • Brad's Blog

Dung Beetle

Dung beetles, members of the Scarab family of beetles, are of three types: Rollers (roll dung to their burrow), Tunnelers (bury dung where they find it) and Dwellers (live in the dung). Scarabs were worshiped by ancient Egyptians as a symbol of life's renewal; responsible for carrying the sun across the skies. They can roll up to 10 times their weight as they navigate balls of dung to their burrow using polarized light from the sun during the day and our galaxy, The Milky Way, at night to guide them.

-
    artwork by Bradford P Ward
Picture
Probably the most enigmatic bug-fellow in Meadowfield is Scarab the Dung. She is so mysterious we don't meet her until Book Two. She is rumored to have magical powers, able to talk to the Dead Ancestors and foretell the future.

Every suntime she gathers fresh dung from the field of Four-Footed Fly Swatters and rolls it along the parched ground to her burrow, chanting in peculiar rhymes all along the way.

Her underground chamber is filled with all kinds of oddities: partially decomposed Beak Beast heads, smoldering seed pods and strange scribbles drawn on the dirt walls.

But strangest of all is her unusual relationship with someone she calls, Ra.  We find out much more about Ra in Book Three, Heroes of Meadowfield —and we find out from none other than that crawling encyclopedia known as, Book Louse.

Dung Beetles are found all over the world.  This is a cute video from National Geographic Films that shows dung beetles hard at work on the plains of Africa.  Enjoy!

National Geographic's Wild Detectives: Dung Beetle from Laura J Boyd on Vimeo.

Back To Great Cicada Homepage
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.