Dung midden
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Dung middens, also known as dung hills,[1] are piles of dung that mammals periodically return to and build up.[2] They are used as a form of territorial marker. A range of animals are known to use them including steenbok,[3] hyrax,[4] and rhinoceros.[5] Other animals are attracted to middens for a variety of purposes, including finding food and locating mates.[5] Some species, such as the dung beetle genus Dicranocara of the Richtersveld in South western Africa spend their whole lifecycle in close association with dung middens.[5] Dung middens are also used in the field of Paleobotany, which relies on the fact that each ecosystem is characterized by certain plants, which in turn act as a proxy for climate.[6] Dung middens are useful as they often contain pollen which means fossilized dung middens can be used in paleobotany to learn about past climates.[7][8][9]