Determined trundlers, these.
This is a type of dung beetle, and, in spirit at least, a cousin of the Egyptian scarab. If you are walking a shared path, one that allows horses, you will soon see them. At least half will be dead, squashed by foot, hoof or tyre.
It is a cleaner of the forest floor. It buries dung, leaf litter, and other organic matter, dragging it underground where it feeds its larvae and enriches the soil.
So that is why I think of it as the scarab soigneuse. It tends the forest quietly, recycling what others leave behind, improving the ground beneath your feet.
In the Forêt de Soignes, naturally.
