That if all the dung beetles left the plains of Africa, within a month the whole place would be waist-deep in excrement!
I found this information on page 25 in the book 1,339 Quite interesting Facts to make your Jaw Drop by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin. I have had so much fun reading this! Other tidbits include Chinese checkers were invented in Germany, Frank Beard is the only member of Z.Z. Top who doesn’t have a beard and a glass of milk left in the Lut Desert in Iran will not go bad because the heat is so intense it kills all the bacteria.
Ancient Egyptians believed Dung beetles were sacred. The beetle pushing the dung ball reminded them of the Egyptian gods pushing the sun across the sky. They called it a scarab. For having such a “dirty job” these insects are fascinating. You can read all about them in Dung Beetles by Clint Twist.
There are more than 300,000 different types of beetles. Fireflies and lady bugs are a couple of the better known varieties.
Of course, the most famous “beetles” are the Beatles! Photographer Bill Eppridge shares his photos of the band in The Beatles: Six Days that Changed the World. The photos in the book were taken during the 6 days the Beatles were in America to perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. In celebration of the 50th anniversary,The Beatles are Here! by Penelope Rowlands is a compilation of remembrances of that event by writers, musicians and fans.
There is also the Beatles Anthology on DVD. It is a visual history of the Beatles beginning in 1940 and ending with the breakup of the band at the end of the ’60s. It includes their songs, successes and failures.
After that, if you’d like to watch more beetles, how about Herbie the Lovebug? I mean really, who doesn’t love a car with a mind of its own? We have the 4 movie collection on DVD. These are Walt Disney favorites that your family will enjoy, and watching Herbie and his escapades will make you all laugh!
Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library.
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