[4] This species, originally inhabiting areas characterized by a Mediterranean climate, is native to central and southern Europe as well as Asia Minor, spanning from Spain to Morocco, Turkey, and Iran.

This introduction aimed to displace dung from cattle pastures underground, thereby, promoting soil health and pest control.

Based on the population size and spread pattern, it is suggested that O. taurus likely entered the United States from the coastal area of Florida.

Subsequently, the US Department of Agriculture deliberately released O. taurus in various locations, including California, Texas, and New Jersey, resulting in a substantial increase in range from where it was first introduced.

It has even displaced O. binodis Thunberg as it arrived initially, overtaking this earlier introduced dung beetle species across Australia.

[5] Onthophagus taurus females fly to fresh dung pads and use their mandibles to excavate tunnels into the soil below.

Previous research indicates that both offspring size and horn length are primarily determined by the amount of dung provided to developing larvae.

[10] Moreover, isolated groups of O. taurus have exhibited variations in the shape of their fore-tibiae, a trait linked to soil density and the depth at which they dig and nest.

[12] They often guard tunnel entrances containing females and engage in fights with male competitors, relying on their body size and horn length to secure mating opportunities.

[13] This behavior requires the beetle to be highly agile to reach and mate with females, all while avoiding detection by a guarding male.

[14] Moczek and Emlen (2000) suggest that possessing longer horns reduces male maneuverability inside tunnels, and is detrimental to sneaking behaviors.

The evolution and diversification of horns of this species are rooted in an intricate patchwork of extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms[16] that involves parental effects, developmental plasticity, multiple internal pathways monitored by the doublesex (dsx) gene expression[17][18][19], the hedgehog gene expression[20] as well as the insulin/insulin-growth factor (IGF) pathway,[21] among numerous other elements.

A prominent feature of the mating system of O taurus is the competition for fertilization of females by males engaging in trials of strength over the possession of breeding tunnels.

Ionizing radiation applied to O. taurus males induced mutations that reduced the expression of such strength-related precopulatory sexual traits.

To prevent their brood balls from being stolen, females would spend hours refilling tunnels with soil or sand that had been excavated earlier.

This behavior helps reduce the risk of parasitism by making it harder for other females to locate the brood balls underground.

As a result, less nitrogen pollution would flood the farm fields due to the soil’s increased capacity for water retention.

By collecting and disbursing feces underground, they eliminate the surface breeding habitat for these pests, preventing egg-laying and reproduction.