Lamarcks Sacred Scarab vs Vacca Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lamarcks Sacred Scarab Vacca Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Kheper lamarcki Onthophagus vacca
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae
Size 35-48 mm 6-12 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions East Africa, Southern Africa Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Lamarcks Sacred Scarab

A large glossy black dung beetle with subtle purple and green iridescence. It constructs large brood balls from elephant dung and rolls them impressive distances. Females provision a single brood ball with great care for each offspring.

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Did You Know?

A female may spend several days carefully shaping a single pear-shaped brood ball, coating it with a layer of soil for insulation.

Vacca Dung Beetle

A small coppery-green to bronze tunneler with a broad head and short horns in males. It is a common pasture dung beetle across Europe. The metallic sheen distinguishes it from many congeners.

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Did You Know?

Males with longer horns guard tunnel entrances while hornless males sneak through side tunnels to mate.