Ball-rolling
Guides
Boreocanthon
Boreocanthon is a genus of ball-rolling dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, comprising thirteen recognized species. The genus is endemic to North America, with a distribution spanning from southern Canada to central Mexico. Species exhibit strong ecological associations with specific vegetation biomes, including eastern coniferous forests, prairies, arid shrublands, and desert habitats.
Canthon
tumblebugs, dung rollers
Canthon is a genus of ball-rolling dung beetles (telocoprids) commonly known as tumblebugs, distributed across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Adults are known for their distinctive behavior of forming dung balls and rolling them away from source material for feeding or nesting. The genus exhibits notable behavioral diversity, with some species employing 'sit and wait' perching strategies to detect dung through chemoreception, while others actively follow animals. Several species show color polymorphism that may be linked to thermal adaptation and elevational distribution.