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Would You Believe Dung Beetles Follow the Milky Way to Steer Themselves Away From Competition?

Jan. 25, 2013 6:00pm

Sometimes it’s the little things that are truly amazing. Take the seemingly inconsequential dung beetle. It’s just an insect that began it’s life in a well formed ball of poo and in its adult life will continue to focus much of its activities on feces sculpting.

But would you believe that scientists found dung beetles are like rudimentary astronomers. Sure they’re vision is too blurry to truly make out constellations, but new research from scientists in South Africa and Sweden shows they use the stars to help navigate.

Researches Observe Dung Beetles Following the Milky Way to Navigate in a Straight Line

Dung beetles feed upon feces and use dung balls to lay their eggs. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

According to an article about the research on the University of Witwatersrand website, the researchers found the beetles follow the Milky Way to make sure they are rolling dung balls in a straight line away from competitors at the source of the feces.

“The dung beetles don’t care which direction they’re going in; they just need to get away from the bun fight at the poo pile,” Professor Marcus Byrne from Wits University said in a statement.

The researchers simulated the night sky at Wits Planetarium to observe the dung beetles’ behavior and found that they use the light from the stars to guide their direction. The team had previously found the insects used larger sources of light like the sun and moon to orient themselves as well. It is suggested the beetles prefer the larger sources of light, but when they’re not available, they can at least use the stars.

To show the beetles relied on light sources to maintain a straight line in their rolling, the researchers put little caps on some of them and found their movement wasn’t as properly directed.

Researches Observe Dung Beetles Following the Milky Way to Navigate in a Straight Line

This shows a dung beetle wearing a cap. (Photo: Marcus Byrne)

What’s more, the researchers have previously observed the beetles climbing on top of their dung balls to “perform an orientation ‘dance’” to find the light source they would need to help them navigate in the first place. Watch that action here:

The university reported that while other animals are known to use the stars to orient themselves, the dung beetle is the first to use the galaxy.

(H/T: Science Daily)

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Comments (51)

1 2
  • getourcountryback
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:37pm

    Explains the resemblance to the resident of the White House doesn’t it?

    Report this comment

    getourcountryback  
  • RDavis49
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:35pm

    Wow, even liberal, socialist, progressive, communist democrats are dumber than the dung beatle….

    Report this comment

    RDavis49  
    • loneindividual
      Posted on January 26, 2013 at 2:54am

      Astrology is really a Secret form of Central Planning.

      It’s mostly interpretation and not letting a crisis…or an Omen…go to waste.

      Report this comment

      loneindividual  
  • ardan123
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:28pm

    Why is that bug kicking Obama in the face??

    Report this comment

    ardan123  
  • The Big Mick
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:15pm

    I believe the Modern Dung Beetles’ Natural Habitat is DC and Da Hood.

    Report this comment

    The Big Mick  
  • 666Sucks
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:04pm

    Wow the similarities are uncanny! The dung Beatle uses stars to navigate in order to roll out a load of crap, and our s*#t for brains president uses a rock from the moon (see Mecca) to roll out his crap! Both are always surrounded and pestered by flies! Wow!

    Report this comment

    666Sucks  
  • theBru
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:56pm

    I heard Al Gore got the money appropriated for this research when he was VP…one of his kinfolks needed some cash and a place to hide out for a few years, so they sent him to Africa to do this research…while he was over there, he came into contact with bho, and they chased the little dung grubs around together…that is what brings us to today, with bho still acting like a dung bug, shoving crap down our throats

    Report this comment

    theBru  
  • taintso
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:44pm

    And here I thought they were Obama followers.

    Report this comment

    taintso  
    • MDECKER
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 8:10pm

      “Sometimes it’s the little things that are truly amazing. Take the seemingly inconsequential dung liberal. It’s just an insect that began it’s demented life in a well formed ball of poo and in its adult life will continue to focus much of its activities on feces activism.”

      Report this comment

      MDECKER  
  • woodyee
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:43pm

    Sheesh, and I always thought they rolled their dung in the direction DemonicRats travel…

    …give me a break! They smell the same, don’t they?

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • Chuck7884
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:41pm

    Goes to show people will believe anything an official Say’s

    Report this comment

    Chuck7884  
  • Cosmos102
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:31pm

    This is one of those Blaze headlines that made me shake my head. I clicked on it out of sheer curiosity. Now I wish I’d just skipped over it.

    Report this comment

    Cosmos102  
  • Stelex
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:30pm

    Being an optician, not an eyeglass guy, optics for high precision telescopes and yes …..drones. The Dung beetles eyes don’t have the capability of seeing the stars……I would submit that maybe they sense magnetic fields or something to that effect but stars. Yeah……no. Academics have lost there way. Today’s scientists are pathetic

    Report this comment

    Stelex  
    • 1FreeVoice
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 8:46pm

      The paper caps they used would not have interfered in magnetic fields, only visible light.

      Perhaps the light source being used was, in fact something else… If you read carefully they are only saying that the beetles orient by the strongest available light source, (including the light of the galaxy)NOT that they can make out details like this or that star.

      It is possible that you are mistaken on this one. Did you look at all the pictures?

      Report this comment

      1FreeVoice  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:06pm

    Yea….. but can they beat a Shrimp on a treadmill????

    Let’s spend $3M in tax payer money over a 10 year period to find out…..

    Report this comment

    The-Monk  
    • Stelex
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:32pm

      I’ll spend 15 bucks to test shrimp on the Barbi……..let you know my findings tomorrow. Got to run out and get the glaze.

      Report this comment

      Stelex  
    • G-WHIZ
      Posted on January 26, 2013 at 10:18am

      Don’t forgit the FIRST funding was :[ $1,000,000] to STUDY SEX BETWEEN TWO(2) PIN-PONG BALLS!! Of course y’all know they are all MALE!! This is why we haveto manufature their offspring!

      Report this comment

      G-WHIZ  
  • Rayblue
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:06pm

    Rick Griffin predicted this on the cover of Zap Comics #3.

    Report this comment

    Rayblue  
  • RoDogg
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 7:00pm

    I want to know why they are studying dung beetles AT ALL. I also want to know if its a public university and if so, exactly how much TAX dollars were wasted.

    Universities are some of the biggest drains on some states like California. This nonsense should at least shrink in a slowed economy. But, just like every other part of government, instead of cutting anything, they just raise our taxes and tuitions etc.

    I personally hate seeing this stuff. Its like the shrimp on the treadmill. Drives me nuts!

    Report this comment

    RoDogg  
    • 1FreeVoice
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:03pm

      I don’t know why someone thought is was worth their time. However, there are any number of research grants with sound reasons behind them that can/have been made light of by people who didn’t know or care about the reasons WHY.

      Populations of wild sheep which are hunted must maintain a ratio of male to female sheep to assure that the females will lamb later in the season. How many female sheep a male sheep can impregnate is one data point. What percentage of the (male) sheep are oriented to be attracted to the wrong gender is another piece of data that can influence how many hunting licenses may be issued in an area without adversely affecting the fertility of the females. It is easy however ( and perhaps more fun) to mock people for researching the sex lives of sheep.

      There are other examples of research that can sound weird/useless if you don’t know, or try to find out, the reasons behind it. Some research has begun with curiosity and found practical application later. I don’t know the worth of this research, but I’m not prepared to insult someone else for my ignorance. That said…

      Publish or perish.

      Report this comment

      1FreeVoice  
    • RDavis49
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:43pm

      They’re trying to figure out the next move and direction for the liberal, socialist, progressive, communist democrat party. They’ve lost their way so badly they’re trying anything to get back on track.

      Report this comment

      RDavis49  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on January 26, 2013 at 8:21am

      I keep repeating this:
      The LASER was a pure research project in the mid 60′s….no known application. the experiments were run at night because of the HUGE power drains on the electric grid. My first subscription was ‘Science Digest’; they had a complete article covering the pure research that had no known application at the time.

      THINK about all of the uses and applications that have laser ingrained in them here today – 50 years later!

      Report this comment

      Stoic one  
    • RDYSTGO
      Posted on February 3, 2013 at 4:28pm

      WHat is your comment about man?? Thank you for making my point that I have been trying to make in The Blaze for a while. You and others give the truth a bad name. You obviously didn’t even read the damn article or you would find out that this study was done at Wits University in South Africa. You also have access to the world wide web I can see and if you were to search for Wits University it will tell you that it is a public research university. Come on Gladys!!! Don’t just get in some tissy and start peeping out your windows and locking and loading just yet.

      Report this comment

      RDYSTGO  
  • m14guy
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:57pm

    A black beetle wearing a hoddie pushing sheet. He could be BHO’s son.

    Report this comment

    m14guy  
  • chaplain88
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:52pm

    Ok the picture of the one with a cap on it looks like it belongs in a medieval fantasy as a mount.

    Report this comment

    chaplain88  
  • Thinman
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:43pm

    Little hoods on their heads? Wouldn’t it have been easier to turn out the lights in the lab?

    Report this comment

    Thinman  
  • whatthecrazy
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:38pm

    Dang the bad luck all i think of when i see that dung is you know who and i have NOTHING ggrrrr.

    Report this comment

    whatthecrazy  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:28pm

    What’s brown and sounds like a bell?

    Report this comment

    Chuck Stein  
  • spfoam1
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:26pm

    I often refer to democrats as dung beetles. They are always pushing some kind of BS, and you can smell them coming.

    Report this comment

    spfoam1  
  • Witness1974
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:17pm

    “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth’: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesserlight to rule the night; he made the stars also. and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness” and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1: 14-18).

    Report this comment

    Witness1974  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:16pm

    i dont see any evidence they use the milkyway

    i do see the focus on the brightest light available

    so, they use light to navigate

    im sure this ” study” wasted just enough money to keep a few worthless ” scientists” busy and paid for a decent period of time

    Report this comment

    Psychosis  
    • RDavis49
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:47pm

      Shine a flashlight at them and you just screwed up their navigation mechanism for weeks on end. Kinda like telling a liberal the facts and truth about something just messed with their heads so bad they walk away twitching in one eye.

      Report this comment

      RDavis49  
  • db321
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:13pm

    A Dung Beetle has competition – Who’s going to still their $hit!

    Report this comment

    db321  
  • GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:13pm

    What is amazing is the value of some of those beetles in Japan….

    Report this comment

    GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:10pm

    “…researchers found the beetles follow the Milky Way to make sure they are rolling dung balls in a straight line away from competitors at the source of the feces.”

    The Milky Way looks like a line of greatly clustered stars in the sky.

    If all Dung Beetles do this them aren’t they all going in only one of two directions possible?

    Report this comment

    The-Monk  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on January 25, 2013 at 6:17pm

      Hi MONK, Yeah, that makes more sense than the story. You’d think that would just use that miniature GPS technology designed for cell phones.

      Report this comment

      RJJinGadsden  
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