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Beware of rolling mountain poop balls: National Park Service
New York Post
Wed August 28, 2019
Hikers at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are being warned to watch out for wayward turds.
According to the National Park Service Facebook post, the rolling balls of “crap” are being propelled by a type of dung beetle called tumblebugs.
“It’s like they always say: When life gives you crap .?.?. roll it into a ball, lay an egg inside it, bury it, and use it to nourish your offspring!” the post joked, which has been viewed more than 21,000 times since Friday. “At least, that’s what dung beetles and tumblebugs do.”
The Facebook post goes on to explain that dung beetles rely on animal excrement to reproduce. Female beetles will lay a fertilized egg inside each poo-ball, and males will bury them “for safekeeping.”
When the eggs hatch, the larvae will grow there until they can survive on their own. North Carolina State University researchers said their crappy hatchery can also provide a meal to a hungry dung beetle.
This, park officials said, is a “service” to Smoky’s tourists: “Dung beetles and tumblebugs do us a great service by keeping the trails clean and aiding in decomposition!”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park followers on Facebook couldn’t resist punning on the post.
“Waste not, want not,” wrote one top fan.
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