What Is a Burying Beetle?

The burying beetle is the most well-known beetle in the carrion family. The word “carrion” refers to the carcasses of dead animals on which these beetles feed. The beetles eat small vertebrates such as birds and lizards, but they first bury them entirely under the soil to use later for food. The male beetles help take care of the female's young until the youngsters are old enough to leave the nest.

Burying beetles are the largest carrion beetle in North America. They have large antennae with sensors to help them find dead animals over long distances. The body is hard-shelled, shiny, and black with bright orange markings on the back or top. Specifically, these orange markings appear in four bands on the wing case and the face of the beetle.

Once a carcass is detected, the beetles must fight for it with females fighting females and males fighting males. The beetle that wins buries the carcass deep into the soil, strips the carcass of its fur or feathers and then forms it into a ball. The female makes a nest, using the fur or feathers, in a chamber above the carrion to lay her eggs. After the larvae hatch, the parents feed them until they are old enough to eat off the carcass.

The habitat of the burying beetle is not known, but they have been spotted in areas where carcasses are found. Common locations where carrion beetles live include portions of Southern Canada and throughout the Eastern United States. They have also been observed along the edges of forests, in grassland prairies, and scrub lands.

Populations of the burying beetle are declining, and in some places, the burying beetle has disappeared altogether. In fact, this species is facing the threat of extinction and was placed on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species List in 1989. Possible reasons for this threat stem from human activity and development causing a loss of the beetle’s food source. The remaining populations are isolated in smaller areas, causing an increase in competition between surviving beetles for food.

Conservation efforts to save the burying beetle are underway. The Fish and Wildlife Service are searching for populations of the beetle throughout the United States. Once a population is found, it is monitored and managed to secure the survival of the beetles. Boston University raises populations and releases those populations into the wild to add to the numbers in the state of Massachusetts.

A burying beetle, also known as a sexton beetle, is a member of the family Silphidae. These beetles are known for their unique behavior of burying carcasses of small animals to use as a food source for their larvae. They can detect a dead animal from a distance and work together to inter it, creating an underground nest where they lay their eggs.

Burying beetles play a crucial role in decomposition and nutrient cycling within ecosystems. By burying and consuming carrion, they help to recycle nutrients back into the soil, promoting plant growth. Additionally, their activity aids in the control of fly populations and the prevention of disease spread from decaying carcasses.

The lifecycle of a burying beetle begins when it finds a carcass and buries it. The female then lays eggs nearby, and once hatched, the larvae feed on the carcass. Both parents may care for the larvae, which is unusual among insects. The larvae pupate in the soil and emerge as adults, ready to continue the cycle.

Some species of burying beetles are considered endangered or threatened. For instance, the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss, pesticides, and competition for carrion are factors contributing to their decline.

Burying beetles have specialized antennae that can detect the scent of decaying animals from a great distance. Once they locate a potential food source, they use pheromones to communicate with potential mates and coordinate the process of burying the carcass to create a suitable environment for their offspring.

Burying beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica. They inhabit a variety of ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and deserts. Their global distribution allows them to fulfill their ecological role of decomposition in many different climates and geographical areas.