Dung beetles in captivity

[pendraig_milnerae]

Does anyone know if there are any dung beetles (Scarabaeoidea) kept in captive settings such as zoos, particularly in Europe, and if so what species they might be? A couple of places in the states like San Diego and San Francisco list them on their websites, but don’t go into any more taxonomic detail than the genus at best (San Francisco mentions Canthon and Phanaeus). With there being literally thousands of species it’s quite difficult to make heads or tails of.

 

[lintworm]

Does anyone know if there are any dung beetles (Scarabaeoidea) kept in captive settings such as zoos, particularly in Europe, and if so what species they might be? A couple of places in the states like San Diego and San Francisco list them on their websites, but don’t go into any more taxonomic detail than the genus at best (San Francisco mentions Canthon and Phanaeus). With there being literally thousands of species it’s quite difficult to make heads or tails of.

Tiergarten Nuernberg has a whole house dedicated to them:

6. Desert House
Tiergarten Nürnberg, Germany
Opened: 2018
Size: 500 square metres
Inhabitants: Dung beetle, elephant shrew, fat sand rat, Egyptian tortoise, several passerine and lizard species and Libyan striped weasel (outdoor enclosure)


What to do with a former hippo house with floor heating? Try to breed dung beetles off-course…. After a complete renovation the result is a small walkthrough with a range of (mostly) Northern African smaller desert species. The stars are the large number of dung beetles going about their business. This is one of those places where it pays off to get down on your knees and wait and look. Despite the house being a relatively open space, locating many inhabitants can be hard and patience is rewarded here. If the lizards are hiding though, there is always some fantastic beetle behaviour to be seen somewhere in the house. This is one of the most inventive invertebrate displays out there and one could only wish more zoos copy exhibits that make the smallest species attractive. To round off such a small gem, the former hippo outdoor enclosure is now home to a pair of Libyan striped weasels, though the weasels being nocturnal that means a lot of luck is required, fortunately the zoo opens at 8 am…

Similar exhibits: none really

@Maguari

@Maguari

@lintworm

@Maguari

@twilighter

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As they haven't successfully bred all the way, they are still reliant on wild-caught individuals, so species differ (and sometimes no dung beetles are present), but at least Scarabaeus sacer and Heliocopris gigas have been kept.