Why do dung beetles roll balls of dung?

Answer: Rolling moves dung to feed adult beetles and the young hatching inside it

Rolling moves dung to feed adult beetles and the young hatching inside it ✓ — Correct. A rolled dung ball is both a portable food store and the place where a female lays an egg; adults eat the dung, and the young feed on the same ball after hatching. The rolling and burying are about moving that food supply, not about exercise or building a room for a colony. Dung beetles can also steer by the Milky Way when rolling away in a straight line.

Rolling the dung strengthens adult beetles that need to dig later — Wrong. Rolling a heavy dung ball takes effort, so it can look like a workout, but the beetle is moving a food supply, not training its muscles for later digging. The dung is eaten or used for an egg, and the effort is part of getting that supply to a safe place.

Rolling packs dung into underground rooms that shelter a whole colony — Wrong. Dung beetles do bury dung underground, so a buried ball can look like nest material, but the dung is food for adults and larvae, not a room that shelters a colony. The female lays an egg inside the buried dung, and the larva feeds on that same ball after hatching.