I’d like you to meet...
a creature found right here in Ohio
a sinister scavenger
a peculiar parent
his young are born from the dead of others...


Common name: American Burying Beetle

Scientific Name: Nicrophorus americanus

Location: Ohio, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma

Diet: Carrion(dead animals)

Did you know?:

Strong fliers, moving as far as 1.5 miles in one night

Highly unusual for an insect, both the male and female take part in raising the young

Helps clean up the environment by eating the dead bodies of animals

Orange-colored mites found on body help keep beetles and carcasses clean of microbes and fly eggs