Oval-shaped, stout beetle measuring on average 20 mm/0.8 in, and with a metallic sheen. In general, dor beetles feed on dung, mostly of herbivorous animals.

They usually build burrows almost 50 cm/19.5 in deep under an accumulation of dung. The blind end of each burrow is sealed with a portion of dung into which the female deposits a single egg. The developing larva feeds on the dung. Both adults and larvae possess stridulating (sound-producing) organs.

Classification
Dor beetles are in the family Geotrupidae (superorder Scarabaeoidea), order Coleoptera, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda.

Six species belonging to the genus Geotrupes are found in Britain. The buzzard clock G. stercorarius measures about 20 mm/0.8 in long, and has a blue-black metallic sheen. It is seen and heard on summer evenings, when it flies about producing a droning sound by means of its stridulating organs, which are located on the hind legs. G. vernalis is metallic blue-green and averages a length of 17 mm/0.7 in.