“A scientist once found 980 BEETLES living in the fur of a single SLOTH.”
National Geographic Kids, 5000 Awesome Facts, fact # 10
I picked up this book while walking Charley Waffle a while ago because I thought it was interesting. The date of the book is 2015, which was 7 years ago. I decided I wanted to go through every fact and “fact check” it, or to see how much a fact has changed from then to now.
I have found some interesting things along the way.
There is a total ecosystem living in the fur of a sloth, including fungi, algae, and the arthropod family such as insects, mites, and ticks. This also includes two beetles; the scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae ) and the Uroxys gorgon, other known as subfamily Scarabaeinae. They are basically known as the dung beetle, or as tumblebug and dung chafer.
The beetles seem to originate in particular places. The scarab beetles are usually located near the elbow or on the flanks behind the knees, whereas the Uroxys are found on the lower back and thighs of the sloth burrowed deep in the fur.
Beetle populations are quite large on sloths. 980 of the species Trichilium adisi, scarabeinae, were found on a two-toed sloth by scientists in 2014.
The larvae and adults thrive off of the sloth’s poop. That, and the rich environment on the sloth’s fur makes it an ideal habitat for the dung beetle’s survival.
Sources:
Sloth Conservation
CHARLEY WAFFLE 