Invertebrates
Minotaur Beetle
Typhaeus typhoeus
On a sandy heath at dusk, a male minotaur beetle trundles across the sand, his three curved horns held out ahead of him like a small black bull.
Overview
The minotaur beetle, Typhaeus typhoeus, is a Not Evaluated dung beetle of sandy heaths, dunes, and grazed grassland across Europe. Its three-horned males, deep burrows, and cooperating pairs make it one of the most distinctive beetles of European heaths.
A beetle that digs deep for dung
Each pair digs a deep burrow in sandy soil and fills it with rabbit or sheep dung, building a store of food for the grubs that will hatch in its side chambers.
Status
Not Evaluated globally, though locally common where sandy grazed ground survives.
Minotaur Beetle: common questions
Why is it called the minotaur beetle?
The male has three long horns on his thorax that curve forward, like the horns of a bull, as in the myth of the Minotaur.
What does the minotaur beetle eat?
It feeds on the dung of herbivores such as rabbits and sheep, which the pair store in deep burrows for their grubs.
How deep are the burrows?
They can reach about a metre deep in sandy soil, ending in side chambers.
Where is the minotaur beetle found?
It lives on sandy heaths, dunes, and grazed grassland across Europe.