Pachylomera femoralis
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Pachylomera femoralis is a species of blackish gray dung beetle from the family Scarabaeidae, which is widespread in the woodland and savannah regions of Africa south of the equator. It has been recorded in the Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
It is the largest flying, ball-rolling dung beetle in the world. The front legs, that it walks on while rolling the dung ball, are particularly strong. It specializes to some extent on buffalo and elephant dung and constructs a large ball, with the flattened leg appendages. The front legs have a rufous velvet patch each, that are used to wipe the eyes clean. The eyes are oriented to provide a good downward view while flying. The dung ball is rolled away from their con-specific competitors and buried in the ground. The male forms the dung ball for breeding, and a female will approach and assist in rolling a dung ball which is to her liking.
Media related to Pachylomera femoralis at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Popeye Dung Beetle sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 171 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and September–December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Popeye Dung Beetle in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against about 20% in May and June, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Popeye Dung Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Popeye Dung Beetle sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 50%).
Same family: Scarabaeidae
The closest relatives of the Popeye Dung Beetle that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Scarabaeidae, Scarabs) are Kheper lamarcki (about 10%), Diurnal Copper Dung Beetle (about 10%) and Goldenhead Dung Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Popeye Dung Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (171 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
