Show Navigation
back to search results

Dung beetles (Scarabaeoidea) roll a ball of feces. Ndutu Lake, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa.

Dung beetles roll a ball of feces for use as food or a breeding chamber, in the Ndutu Lake area, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), in the southern Serengeti plains ecosystem, in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa. All dung beetle species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles). The Scarabaeinae alone comprises more than 5,000 species. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Ngorongoro Conservation Area hosts the Great Migration — the world's most massive land animal migration (in terms of total body weight). This annual circuit of millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, etc. continues from the NCA clockwise through Serengeti National Park to the northwest plus Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve. The Serengeti Plains and Ecosystem span the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, various hominid species have occupied the NCA for 3 million years. Pastoral tribes replaced hunter-gatherer groups from 2,000 years ago through the 1700s. By the 1800s, the earlier groups were displaced by the Maasai — fearsome warriors and cattle rustlers from what is now South Sudan. In 1928, hunting was prohibited on all land within the crater rim, except the former Siedentopf farms. From 1948–2024, the native pastoralists have been increasingly disenfranchised and forcibly displaced by park authorities. UNESCO honors the NCA as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download
Filename
24.02AFR-1165.jpg
Copyright
© Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size
3769x2513 / 4.0MB
http://www.photoseek.com/
Contained in galleries
2024 Feb AFRICA: TANZANIA, KENYA, VICTORIA FALLS, TANZANIA safari, AFRICA favorites, Highlights 2024
Dung beetles roll a ball of feces for use as food or a breeding chamber, in the Ndutu Lake area, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), in the southern Serengeti plains ecosystem, in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa. All dung beetle species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles). The Scarabaeinae alone comprises more than 5,000 species. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Ngorongoro Conservation Area hosts the Great Migration — the world's most massive land animal migration (in terms of total body weight). This annual circuit of millions of wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, etc. continues from the NCA clockwise through Serengeti National Park to the northwest plus Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve. The Serengeti Plains and Ecosystem span the Mara and Arusha Regions of Tanzania. Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, various hominid species have occupied the NCA for 3 million years. Pastoral tribes replaced hunter-gatherer groups from 2,000 years ago through the 1700s. By the 1800s, the earlier groups were displaced by the Maasai — fearsome warriors and cattle rustlers from what is now South Sudan. In 1928, hunting was prohibited on all land within the crater rim, except the former Siedentopf farms. From 1948–2024, the native pastoralists have been increasingly disenfranchised and forcibly displaced by park authorities. UNESCO honors the NCA as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
Info