Earth Boring Dung Beetles

Etymology: It is this common dung beetle that was known as 'Dumbledore' locally in SW England, 'dor' being the sound of them in flight. Thomas Hardy got this wrong, and thought 'dumbledore' was a Dorset name for bumblebees, which also of course make a deep buzzing sound. J.K.Rowling got the name of the Harry Potter character from Hardy who refers to them both in The Mayor of Casterbridge and a poetic description of 'Humstrums', an old country musical instrument.Now a 100-view shot

This geotrupid beetle came to a light and landed on me--I captured it for some photos. They won't stay upright on a flat surface--I placed it on some sand.-BugGuide accountPCCA20080714-3774A

Geotrupes stercorarius. Badby Woods 15/08/2006.

I do just guess this beetle to be a member of family Geotrupidae, we call them in general "Mistkäfer" meaning Dung beetles.

I do just guess this beetle to be a member of family Geotrupidae, we call them in general "Mistkäfer" meaning Dung beetles.

Thanks to borisb (Germany) for ID, and Jakob Farh (Germany) for family ID.

Fairly common beetle in south and central Finland.