Such a beetle rolls its ball to a suitable location, where it digs an
underground chamber in which it hides the ball. It then either
eats the
ball itself, or lays an egg in in it, covers the chamber, and departs,
repeating the procedure as many times as it can. The
larva feeds on the ball of dung (SHIT) after the egg hatches. This behaviour inspired the
Ancient Egyptians to compare
Scarabaeus sacer to
Khepri, their Sun god. They accordingly held the species to be
sacred.
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