pony potato

Meet Dudley, the dung beetle. We found him trying to cross a path in the forest last night, along with 10 of his not-so-lucky comrades who apparently got squashed by cyclists or pedestrians. We were cycling too, but the second we spied the first corpse, we slammed on our brakes to investigate further. Some of the beetles were in good condition, so we collected them for pinning, but most were beyond recognition. Phoebe spied Dudley and didn't want to leave him behind, for fear that he'd become the next victim. And that's how he became our pet.


Kids have had their share of invertebrate pets lately, mostly beetles, snails and slugs. We did take in some tree frogs for a few days, and they did quite well eating worms and such, but I made the kids let them go as I didn't want to be part of the declining amphibians problem. Dudley's especially entertaining since he's often trying to escape. He tries to climb the walls of his container, but he's too bulky and topples over backward, making a big crashing sound. Hoots and hollers erupt from the sidelines when this happens! Makes you wonder why he hasn't de-evolved those paper-thin wings!

Strawberries were his first meal. But he didn't take too fondly to this BIG, red, ripe one. Guess it wasn't rotten enough for his liking. But it did give him a nice vantage point for scouting his territory, and that's when he spied the tastier treat ...

... which happened to be a leftover bit of Phoebe's strawberry that was already beginning to attract fruit flies (much to Stijn's chagrin). He knawed on that sucker for what seemed like ages, and if I'm not mistaken, it looked to me like he was trying to ROLL it! But he has no nest in this plastic sanctuary! Would he still try to roll food to a nest to feed young that didn't actually exist(anymore)? And wouldn't it be so great to witness this wonder of nature on our OWN breakfast room table?! But of course with the real thing ... a piece of herbivore excrement. That's his job anyway.

Here you see our little study in progress. Got the pony poop (hereafter called pony potatoes cuz the kids prefer that) from Phoebe's pony camp - nice and fresh! Dudley took a nibble the second I plopped it in his cage, crawled next to it and tried to give it a nudge, but then walked off, almost as if in defiance. Was it too big? Or did he prefer cow potatoes? He resumed his wall climbing behavior until dinner was served (our dinner, that is), and i couldn't resist taking another peek. Was so thrilled. He was chowing down! And he never stopped - been 5 h now - and he's made a gaping hole in one side, w bits and pieces strewn about, which is really making the thing stink (hint: don't take top off!). He's gotten himself completely underneath the poop and is making the whole thing move - it's one of the most AMAZING things I've ever seen. By the looks of it, Dudley's not going to catch a wink of sleep tonight - he's so revved up - and I'm not sure if i will either. How can i sleep wondering if he's going to make a ball and ROLL it!


...guess this will have to be continued.