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Dung Beetles Do One of the Dirtiest Jobs in the Animal Kingdom

Season 1 Episode 4 | 9m 52s

In Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve on the plains of South Africa, an army of dung beetles does one of the dirtiest jobs in the animal kingdom. Dr. Gimo Daniel studies these beetles, who voraciously recycle the dung of the much larger animals on the plains. It might seem like a bizarre and thankless undertaking, but dung beetles are crucial to the health and waste management of this environment.

Extras
Ummat Somjee goes to Thailand to observe the cultural tradition of fighting beetles.
Gavin Svenson heads to the Brazilian rainforest to sample the diversity of mantises.
Dragonfly expert Jessica Ware heads to Guyuna to sample dragonfly diversity.
Monarch butterflies winter in the fir forests of Michoacan, Mexico, after an epic migration.
Jesse Barber and Akito Kawahara study the evolutionary arms race between bats and moths.
A four-part investigation into insect declines, exploring their diversity and ecological importance.
Evolutionary Biologist Ummat Somjee describes his research on Flag-footed bugs in Panamá.
Urban Ecologist Sylvana Ross visits Baltimore, Maryland, to find Tapinoma Sessile.
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