Bessbug beetle (IMAGE)

University of California - Berkeley

Bessbug beetle

Caption

The bessbug beetle not only eats its own poop, known as frass, but also uses the material to line the walls of its log-based galleries and to build protective chambers around its young. UC Berkeley scientists have discovered that the frass contains antibiotic and antifungal chemicals produced by actinomycete bacteria, helping to protect the insect from pathogens.

Credit

UC Berkeley photo by Rita de Cassia Pessotti

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