Baku, April 12, AZERTAC Despite the modern delusion made about scarabs through the cinematography and films, these ancient beetles are not that destructive and evil creatures as they seem.Indeed, scarabs, also known as dung beetles, are associated with divine manifestation of Khepri, an ancient Egyptian God of Sunrise, represented with the head of a scarab and human body.The ancient Egyptians believed that the scarabs, who roll the large balls of dung to lay their eggs, resemble the progression of the sun through the sky from east to west, just like Khepri believed to do, pushing the sun in the sky every morning and then back to the underworld in the evening.According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the ancient Egyptian scarab hieroglyph called Kheper, was a symbol of development, growth and effectiveness.Scarabs are mainly found in every part of the world except in the oceans and on Antarctica. There are about 30,000 scarab species comprising about 10 percent of all known beetles.Scarabs are distinguished from other beetles by their unusual antennae, a pair of sense organs located near the front of an insect's head capsule, each of which terminates in three flattened plates that fit together to form a club. The outer edges of their front legs are often toothed or scalloped to facilitate digging.Although the scarab is no longer a religious icon in Egypt, it is still extremely popular among the tourists. The foreigners in Egypt buy modern scarabs and amulets in marketplaces and souvenir stores.The scarab is also used as a protective and lucky charm in jewelry.