Horned Dung Beetle
Horned Dung Beetle
Invertebrate
The horned dung beetle is the strongest animal on Earth for its size, able to pull well over a thousand times its own weight as the horned males wrestle for a mate.
💡 Fun Facts
- It is the strongest insect in the world for its size, pulling up to 1,141 times its own body weight.
- That is a bit like a person pulling six full double-decker buses at once.
- The males use this strength to push rival males out of tunnels when they compete for a mate.
Name Story
Onthophagus taurus
means “the dung-eating bull”
What does its name mean?
- Onthophagus — dung-eaterGreek onthos 'dung' + phagein 'to eat'
- taurus — bullLatin, for the male's long, bull-like horns
Both halves fit perfectly: 'dung-eater' for what it feeds on, and 'bull' for the pair of curved horns the males wear and use like a bull to shove rivals out of the way.