Thousands of Years of Pastoralism Don't Count: Coprophagous Beetles Prefer Exotic Alpaca Dung to That of Cattle.

Dung beetles mostly feed on mammal dung. Throughout the European Alps, the dung produced by local domestic ungulates attracts many species of dung beetles, giving rise to rich and diversified communities that play an important role in the Alpine agricultural ecosystem. There is, therefore, understandable concern about the introduction of exotic livestock, such as alpacas ( (Linnaeus, 1758)), into the region.