Interesting stuff from Laredo, TX

[Jim Mason]

Two beetles (black and
squatty, about 2.5 cm long) were attached to a small sphere - with a 3 cm
diameter - made of what looked like dried dirt.

Dung.  You spotted a pair of dung beetles (Scarabeidae) taking their
carefully crafted wad of baby food off somewhere to bury it.  They lay their
eggs in it after forming it and rolling it off to be buried.
----------------------------
I found another similar
beetle close by, and picked it up - only to be blasted by an offensive odor.
I suppose these beetles are just another in the family of "stink bugs",
although they were new to me.

Tsk, tsk.  BEETLES ARE NOT BUGS!  Probably a Bombardier Beetle (Brachinus
sp.).  You should have paid attention when it gave you fair warning by doing
its little headstand!  They have a cousin in Arizona/New Mexico called the
Pinacate Beetle which may be encountered as you walk trails in Pinon/Juniper
habitat.

Jim Mason
jemason at msn.com