Holy pill turner
| Holy pill turner | ||||||||||||
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Holy Pill Twist ( Scarabaeus sacer ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Scarabaeus sacer | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The sacred pill turner ( Scarabaeus sacer ) is a beetle from the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae).
features
Sacred pill twisters are about three inches long. The chitin armor has a black basic color, which often has a greenish shade. The body is generally oval in shape, squat rather than elongated, with the thorax wider than the abdomen . The head is broadened by extensions on the sides and is very flat. The front of the head is very jagged. Overall, its shape is very reminiscent of a shovel. The antennae are very short and at the end they thicken into a club. The front legs are flat and jagged, similar to the head, so that they can also be used as a shovel.
distribution
The beetles are native to the Mediterranean region, almost all of Africa, Asia Minor and parts of South America, where they inhabit various steppe areas such as savannas and semi-deserts .
biology
They feed on the feces of herbivorous mammals and are therefore also called coprophages ( feces eaters). After mating, the beetle forms a ball of dung that often exceeds its body mass many times over. He then clamps this ball between his hind legs and rolls it backwards until he finds a suitable place and buries the ball in the ground with the help of his head and front legs. The female then lays the eggs on the buried ball of feces, which the larvae later feed on.
history
In ancient Egypt, the pill turner was a symbol of the resurrection and the cycle of the sun . The dead were given scarabs , small beetle amulets , as grave goods for protection in the afterlife , but the living also wore scarabs as jewelry.
groomed animal
Beetle with dung ball
Beetle with dung ball
.JPG)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Svatopluk Bílý, Alena Čepická: beetle , Artia Publishers, Prague 1990, ISBN 3-768-42929-6
- ↑ Christina Regner: Scarabs and Scaraboids . Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 1995, ISBN 3447036133 , pages 3 & 4.
literature
- Bernhard Klausnitzer : Beetle . Nikol Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937-87215-9
- Michael Chinery : Parey's Book of Insects. Over 2000 insects in Europe. 2nd edition, Kosmos , Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-440-13289-0
Web links
- Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus) sacer at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 18, 2011