One Little Dung Beetle - Counting and Exploring

There are at least 350 000 species in the world, making beetles the largest group of animals on Earth. Australia has more than 30,000 known species of beetles, including 500 different species of native dung beetles. And there are still many more to be discovered.

Beetles can be found almost everywhere - from snow covered mountains, to the driest deserts, to deep dark caves, hot springs, underwater, urban environments and even your own backyard!

Beetles are sometimes called ecosystem engineers because of the many important things they do in the environment and some scientists are studying how beetles might even be able to help deal with climate change.

This session will give students a greater understanding of the important role that beetles play in the environment, what would happen if they disappeared and how to to find them in the environment.

• Book Reading
• What is the study of beetles called?
• What are the stages in the life cycle of a beetle and what is this process called?
• What important roles do beetles play in the environment?
• Where can you find beetles?
• Why should we care about beetles?
• What I learned most from this session.