Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects

Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects

Published on: April 13, 2011

The dung beetle dance: an orientation behaviour?

Emily Baird¹, Marcus J Byrne, Jochen Smolka

¹Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Emily.Baird@biol.lu.se

|January 27, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Stable neural coding of heading across locomotory modes by the insect compass system.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

The Children's Urgent Reduction of Forearm Fractures in the Emergency Department (CURFFED) project : a national prospective trainee-led collaborative audit of practice.

Bone & joint open·2026

Same author

Tempo and drivers of 3D eye size evolution in temperate butterflies.

Evolution letters·2026

Same author

Insect navigation: Lunar lunacy tamed by an ant.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

From fellowship to the frontline: A survey of military trauma training experience by the Military Deployment Readiness Assessment of Fellowship Training (DRAFT) Task Force.

The journal of trauma and acute care surgery·2026

Same author

The Editors' and Readers' Choice Awards 2026: sustained recognition of outstanding articles in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A.

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology·2026

Same journal

Epidemiological characteristics of amebiasis in Japan from 2001 to 2022.

PloS one·2026

Same journal

Longitudinal associations of academic stress with eating related patterns, nutrition, somatic indicators, and depressive symptoms in university students: A study protocol.

PloS one·2026

Same journal

Pollution removal efficiency enhancement by agricultural biomass additions in constructed wetlands: A framework integrating meta-analysis with explainable machine learning.

PloS one·2026

Same journal

Insulation failure mapping on power transformer bushing using FRA and electrostatic simulation.

PloS one·2026

Same journal

Enhancing medical Q&A systems with multimodal knowledge graphs and dual-layer attention mechanisms.

PloS one·2026

Same journal

UAMP: Consistent video object segmentation with uncertainty-aware memory propagation.

PloS one·2026

See all related articles

Dung beetles perform a "dance" before rolling dung balls to maintain a straight path. This visually guided behavior helps them re-establish their direction after disturbances, crucial for avoiding competition.

Area of Science:

Animal Behavior
Insect Navigation
Sensory Ecology

Background:

Dung beetles roll dung balls in straight lines to escape competition.
A characteristic
dance
precedes and accompanies this rolling behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the function of the dung beetle dance.
Determine the triggers for dance behavior in Scarabaeus (Kheper) nigroaeneus.

Main Methods:

Observed dung beetle (Scarabaeus (Kheper) nigroaeneus) behavior.
Manipulated ball control, course deviations, and visual cues to elicit dances.

Main Results:

Dances are triggered by loss of ball control or contact.

More Related Videos

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

Published on: December 11, 2015

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Published on: October 12, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects

Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects

Published on: April 13, 2011

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

Published on: December 11, 2015

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Published on: October 12, 2018

Both active and passive course deviations, and visual cue changes, elicit dances.

Dances occur when beetles deviate from their intended straight-line path.

Conclusions:

The dung beetle dance is a visually mediated mechanism for maintaining straight-line orientation.
The dance helps beetles establish and re-establish their rolling bearing after disturbances.