This dung beetle species belongs to the subfamily of the Coprinae. The Coprinae, as all the members of the subfamily of the Scarabaeinae exhibit a pronounced parental care and are often sexually dimorphic. Typical examples of the sexual dimorphism are found within the Onthophagus genus, where the males of several species have single or double horn-like extensions on the head. The larvae of the Scarabaeinae develop in the soil in a brood ball made of dung and prepared by the parents.

The pairs of beetles from the Onthophagus genus dig a system of tunnels in the soil near the dung, each of them ending in a brood chamber filled with dung. The female lays an egg inside a small empty space at the top of each brood ball.

The individual on the image is a female.