Satanas Dung Beetle vs North American Hide Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Satanas Dung Beetle North American Hide Beetle
Scientific Name Dichotomius satanas Trox scaber
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Trogidae
Size 22-35 mm 5-9 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Dung Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions South America North America, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Satanas Dung Beetle

A large, pitch-black tunneling dung beetle with a deeply forked cephalic horn in males that gives it a devilish appearance. It is a powerful nocturnal tunneler in South American forests. Its dark coloring provides excellent camouflage at night.

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Did You Know?

Its ominous name comes from the deeply forked horn that resembles devil horns in medieval European art.

North American Hide Beetle

A small, oval, grayish-brown beetle with heavily sculptured elytra covered in rows of bumps and encrusted soil. It specializes in consuming dried keratin-rich animal remains. Found in owl pellets, bird nests, and old carcasses.

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Did You Know?

Forensic entomologists use the presence of hide beetles to estimate time since death in very old remains.