Fiddler Beetle vs Horned Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fiddler Beetle Horned Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Eupoecila australasiae Onthophagus taurus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae
Size 15-20 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Gardens Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Australia Europe, Asia, North America (introduced)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Fiddler Beetle

A distinctive scarab beetle with green and yellow violin-shaped markings on its back. It is commonly found in gardens across eastern Australia.

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Did You Know?

The fiddle-shaped pattern on its back gives this beetle its common name.

Horned Dung Beetle

The strongest insect on Earth relative to body size — can pull 1,141 times its own body weight. Males have curved horns used in underground tunnel combat for mating rights.

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Did You Know?

This beetle can pull 1,141 times its body weight — equivalent to a human pulling six double-decker buses. Its strength evolved from intense male-male combat in dung tunnels.