Small White Eggs on Poop

[birdsrfun]

I’ve been looking online for pics of dung beetle eggs, and I cannot find any. @Rakaiachick have you seen these before for sure?

 

[cmom]

smithsonianmag.com , January 10, 2018
Once they are safe from ball thieves, cuckoo parasites (smaller dung beetles laying their eggs in other beetles’ balls of dung), and the general hustle and bustle of the dung site, the rollers bury their dung ball. Then they reveal why they went through all the trouble: The female lays a single egg in it. These large, careful beetles may only lay five eggs in their short lives, and they need to make sure their hatchling grubs have enough food and are safe from predators.

The poop could contain worms’ eggs? Just a guess...

 

[Molly020403]

I read somewhere that worm eggs are invisible to the naked eye, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[Rakaiachick]

I’ve been looking online for pics of dung beetle eggs, and I cannot find any. @Rakaiachick have you seen these before for sure?

No I haven't. It was just a wild guess

 

[aart]

Thanks for the responses! They were not moving so I do not think they are tapeworm segments. I also saw later in the day that they appeared to hatch (?) and were small, orange looking pupa.

Next time you see this, put the poop in a jar for better observation opportunities.

 

[birdsrfun]

These look like some form of egg; what kind is the million dollar question. They don’t look like tapeworm segments to me. This has made me very curious to find out.

 

[Molly020403]

Next time you see this, put the poop in a jar for better observation opportunities.

Great idea! I will do that! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who was confused!

 

[Molly020403]

In case anyone is interested, I kept some in a jar and they hatched into small flies!

 

[aart]

In case anyone is interested, I kept some in a jar and they hatched into small flies!

Hmmm I thought fly eggs hatched into larvae.
Lots of insects can be hard to ID, but at least they were not poultry worms.

 

[Molly020403]

Hmmm I thought fly eggs hatched into larvae.
Lots of insects can be hard to ID, but at least they were not poultry worms.

They hatched into larva first and then to flies!