Horned dung beetle (Onthophagus Taurus)

Horned dung beetle (Onthophagus Taurus)

DinRat · 8 months ago

Dung beetles feed on animal poop and use it to build their homes. With their powerful hind legs, a dung beetle pushes its dung balls, which can sometimes be as large as apples. Considering that the body size of a dung beetle varies from 0.2 to 1.2 inches, that is some heavyweight.

There are many species of dung beetles. In 2010, the Royal Society Journal B published a study that crowned the horned dung beetle5 as the world's strongest insect. 

The extraordinary strength of this dung beetle species comes from its ability to pull loads up to 1,141 times its own weight. That is like an average human lifting two 18-wheeler trucks.

For more reading, explore more dung beetle facts. And noting that these little creatures aren't exactly the prettiest, you might also like our compilation of the world's ugliest animals, which we love despite their appearances.

European Hornet (Vespa crabro)

Ekpolok · 8 months ago

The European Hornet features brown and yellow stripes and can grow up to 3.5 cm, making it the largest wasp species in Europe. 

Despite its size, the European Hornet is relatively docile unless an intruder threatens its nest. Like other wasps, its nest is made from chewed wood pulp and is often located in hollow trees or concealed in wall cavities. 

European Hornets eat beetles, butterflies, honey bees, grasshoppers, yellow jackets, tree sap, fruits, and honeydew. During the winter, the wasp nest dies, and only the queens survive to establish new colonies in spring.