How to Tame Dung Beetle in ARK
A giant beetle that converts feces into Fertilizer and Oil. Essential for farming.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Temperament
- Passive
- Tame Method
- Passive
- Rideable
- No
Dung Beetle Taming Details
Dung Beetle is a passive tame — feed it Kibble (preferred) or Crops by hand or from its inventory without knocking it out. Its most effective taming food is Kibble (preferred) or Crops.
Alternative foods: Mejoberry, Other berries, Fresh Vegetables.
Harvest yield: a tamed or killed Dung Beetle drops Chitin.
Taming Steps
1. Prepare your gear
Bring Kibble (preferred) or Crops, bug repellent (if applicable), and a shield for emergencies.
2. Locate the creature
Find a wild Dung Beetle on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Approach passively
Dung Beetle is a passive tame. Approach slowly with no weapons drawn, drop or hand-feed its preferred food, and avoid sudden movements.
4. Feed the right food
Place Kibble (preferred) or Crops in its inventory (alternatives: Mejoberry, Other berries, Fresh Vegetables). Higher-tier food gives faster taming and higher level bonuses.
5. Maintain torpor
Keep wild predators away — passive tames are vulnerable while feeding.
6. Claim & saddle
Once tamed, Dung Beetle will follow your commands. It cannot be ridden.
Dung Beetle base stats
Level 1 wild values, with the gain each point adds in the wild and after taming.
| Stat | Base | Per wild level | Per tamed level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 200 | +20.0% | +13.5% |
| Stamina | 100 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Oxygen | 150 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 900 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 5 | +2.0% | +8.0% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +5.0% | +10.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +1.0% |
| Torpidity | 200 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Taming & saddle figures
Breeding & movement
Where it spawns & other details
Dung Beetle spawns on The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Valguero, Astraeos, Lost Colony, Genesis Part 1, Extinction.
Dung Beetle variants
- Aberrant Dung Beetle
- Eerie Dung Beetle
- Gula Beetle
Related tools & resources
Dung Beetle — Background & Lore
The Dung Beetle turns feces into 
Fertilizer and 
Oil. It is a small, quiet helper that every farm should have.
Where to find it
It lives in caves and swamps on The Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Extinction, Scorched Earth and Genesis Part 1 in both games, on Astraeos and Lost Colony in ASA, and on Crystal Isles, Fjordur, Lost Island and Genesis Part 2 in ASE.
Taming
A passive tame. See the taming calculator for its food.
Uses
- Fertilizer: for crop plots.
- Oil: a side product while it works.
Tips
Put feces from your toilets and pens in its inventory, and collect the Fertilizer each day.