Scientists have found that beetles dung beetles are well acquainted with the stars.
It turned out that the dung beetle just fine without these luminaries, but the sleeve of our Galaxy, he required for the normal orientation.
Researchers have discovered the principle of the orientation of dung beetles by the stars. In this they, according to a new study, helps a special “dance” that these insects perform in the dung ball.
That beetles dung beetles navigating by the stars, it is known not the first year. Previously representing the University of Lund (Sweden), scientists found that these insects use to navigate a clear “sleeve” of the milky Way. Beetles were placed in laboratory conditions where they had to deliver the ball of dung to the right place. Scientists have tried to find out exactly how insects Orient themselves.
Using a special technique, their eyes closed and alternate between the Sun and the moon. It turned out that the dung beetle just fine without these luminaries, but the sleeve of our Galaxy, he required for the normal orientation. If it “hide”, then the insect begins to “Dodge” or walk in circles.
This conclusion is much more important than it seems at first glance, because the dung beetle is the only living being that uses such a method of orientation in space. Earthly objects for him that was absolutely not necessary.
Meanwhile, until recently, scientists could not understand how exactly this happens. Now scientist Basile El Jundi (Basil el Jundi and his colleagues found the answer to this question. It turned out that beetle “photographs” starry sky during the “dance” on the dung ball.
Fragments remain in the memory of the insect, and it uses them to create maps. “In a sense “the dance” performs the function of a camera shutter: when the shutter is released, is captured “image”, which shall be deposited in the insect’s memory,” says Basil El-Jundi.
Dung-burrowing animals or dung beetles are a family of beetles, most of which belong to the subfamily Bolboceratinae, numbering approximately 500 species. All in all, scientists have identified more than 600 species of dung beetles belonging to 68 genera.
In the diet of different species can be fungi or animal droppings, which also serves as food for larvae. Note that the dung beetles are useful “techs”, and in addition, serve as soil-formers.
Earlier, another team of Swedish scientists from Uppsala University presented the results of research into the nature of homosexuality, for example, tiny beetles Callosobruchus maculatus. It turned out that the more prone to same-sex relationships were males, the more potent was female beetles.
On this basis it was concluded that responsible for homosexual behavior genes do not disappear due to the fact that may be useful in some cases.
