Living up to its name, this beetle was found on dung (of the dog variety). You’ll also note there are some hitchhikers. We believe these are phoretic mites — mites that ride on other insects to new feeding and mating places. This subfamily is commonly known as the Small Dung Beetles, with most less than 8 mm (.31 inches), cylindrical and found mostly in dung. Although this group shows a wide range of life history traits, most are dung “dwellers” that breed and feed within dung and do not usually tunnel under or roll fecal matter.
Photo by: Glenn Marangelo on 4/25/21 in Missoula, MT