American Burying Beetle

The American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, is an endangered species found especially in the Sandhills and Dissected Loess Hills. Formerly occurring over the eastern half of the United States, the beetle is now found predominantly in Nebraska and Oklahoma. Reasons for its demise are only speculative. It is undoubtedly the largest and most beautiful of the carrion beetles, being black with four large orange spots on its wing covers and with an orange pronotum (the area between the head and wing covers). Burying beetles bury carrion that we would otherwise have to smell. These nocturnal beetles detect the carrion, then work to bury it, pulling fur, feathers, or scales away and secreting fluids that help preserve the corpse. Eggs are laid beneath the corpse, and the parents take care of the young larvae, feeding them until they are old enough to feed themselves. This behavior is quite rare in insects and is usually confined to social insects like bees and ants. Research is underway to identify and preserve their habitat in the state, and there are efforts to reintroduce these beetles into areas where they once occurred.