Do you know a bug that helps the environment as recyclers, clearing the decaying corpses? Here we are discussing such a species - the American carrion beetle.The American carrion beetle (insect order Coleoptera) are decomposers that play a vital role in the ecology by feeding on the carcass of dead animals. Just like a mouse, the carrion beetles dig the ground from under the body of decaying animals. Though tiny they are, these insects use their blades to dig the holes and decompose the dead body in minutes. These beetles are macroinvertebrates and blend easily in the environment. These ultimate recyclers smell terrible because they store a smelly odor that irritates the other bugs or small animals. They spray this horrible odor on the predators to save themselves.Read through this article for more fascinating facts about this species. To learn more about other beetles, visit our articles on the longhorn beetle and dung beetle.
Fun American Carrion Beetle Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
American Carrion Beetle Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is an American Carrion Beetle?An American carrion beetle is an insect that belongs to the Silphidae family. They resemble bumblebees in flight.What class of animal does an American Carrion Beetle belong to?The Americal carrion beetle or Giant carrion beetle belongs to the class Insecta. They are widely spread in North America.How many American Carrion Beetles are there in the world?The exact number of these species is unknown, but you can expect them in large numbers and are essential scavengers that help the environment.Where do the American Carrion Beetle live?These carrion beetles are widely spread in Eastern and North American forest areas, also in Southern parts of the USA throughout the year. Places where they are found range from Texas to Florida, Minnesota to southeastern Canada.What is an American Carrion Beetle’s habitat?The adults are active in summers and prefer moist habitats. They are mostly found near animal carcasses, leaf litters, rotten food, and fruits. The natural habitats of these carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) are grasslands, savannahs, prairies.Who do American Carrion Beetles live with?The American carrion beetles (Silphidae) live in groups called a colony or swarm of beetles. They are found in closed packed groups and work together near the decaying bodies. Carrion beetles have small insects that sit on their backs, such as mites; they fly along with the beetles and eat maggots’ eggs laid on the carcasses.How long does an American Carrion Beetle live?On average, the carrion beetles live for about four to six months.How do they reproduce?The reproduction starts from late May-mid to July. The adults do not immediately arrive at the carcass; they take some time and arrive at the decaying stage when the maggot (type of decomposers) consumes the body. When the decomposition process starts, these beetles arrive and start feeding on the flesh of the carcass, fly larvae that are already present on the corpse. Mating also takes place at the same time. Internal fertilization occurs when adult females mate with more than one male, and eggs are laid in the food sources themselves. After hatching, the larva comes out and starts to feed on carcasses and brownish liquid generated by parents. Once matured, the larvae fall on the ground and enter the soil to pupate. Pupate is a pale one with wings folded and legs retracted.What is their conservation status?The conservation status of these species is Not listed by IUCN.American Carrion Beetle Fun FactsWhat do American Carrion Beetles look like?Adult beetles have an oval and flattened body. They may measure up to 0.5-0.78 in(13-20 mm). These medium-sized beetles have a pronotum with a yellow and black spot in between; the thorax part is extended to a unique quadrilateral-shaped structure. The elytra are black and rough, covering the hindlegs and abdomen. With short legs, medium-sized eyes, and a pair antenna in the front part of its body has a gross look. At the same time, the larva is on an average 0.27-0.98 in (7-25 mm) in length, with well-developed legs and a pair of small antennae. The larva is fast and curls up if any threats.Some of the carrion beetles are in bright colors like yellow or red and are assumed to be poisonous. So these bright colors help to warn the predators.How cute are they?Because of their dependency on carcasses, they may not be considered cute creatures though they are essential to the environment.How do they communicate?They possess chemical defenses, a strong smelly odor that might irritate the predators. Carrion beetles generally work in pairs to bury the corpse. It has the ability to sense the carcass from a distance (2 mi away) using chemical receptors.How big is American Carrion Beetle?The length of these beetle ranges from 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm). The Burying beetle is double the size of the American Carrion beetle.How fast can American Carrion Beetles move?The speed of American carrions is not known, but these Carrion beetle barge with their six legs and compete with maggots in feeding on the corpse. They have some sharp weapon which helps to win over the maggots and consumes more food. Their flexible body and wings help to crawl under the body of dead animals and succeed in pulling the corpse inside the ground in no time. Adults are active fliers and prefer to fly during daytimes.How much does an American Carrion Beetle weigh?The weight of the corpse is directly proportional to the number of larvae produced. The idle weight of these species not known.What are the male and female names of the species?Male species called male American carrion beetle, female as female American carrion beetle.What would you call a baby American Carrion Beetle?The baby American carrion beetle is called a larva. They are black in color and appeared to be armed. The interesting part is both adults and larvae also feed on other fly larvae.What do they eat?The American carrion beetle has got its name as it depends on the dead creatures for their food. Both adult and larvae of this insect feed on decaying animals and plants. Apart from the flesh, they also feed rotten fruit, fungi, maggots, dried skin, and muscle tissues of dead animals.How much damage can American Carrion Beetles do to the garden?The American carrion beetle decomposes the dead plants, thus increasing the soil’s nutrient value. But at the same time, they sometimes eat crops and occupy inhabited human places. They act as decomposers as well as pests. The larva primarily damages the leaves of sugarbeets.Would they make a good pet?We do not think these insects would make good pets. They feed on carcasses and have a foul smell. Although they are useful and important in the ecosystem, they would not seem so great in the house as a pet and are best left outside in nature.Did you know…The population of American carrions is declining because of pesticides and a decrease in habitats.American carrions have a habit of chewing the food; they may even bite the predators that come in their way.What attracts American Carrion Beetles?Corpses, fungi, and decaying plants attract these species (Coleoptera: Silphidae), and they are also attracted to rotten fruits.What is the difference between the American Carrion Beetle and the Burying Beetle?The American carrion beetle has a yellow and black color combination structure, whereas the Burying beetle has a bright orange-red patch on its shiny black structure. the American burying beetle is the biggest of all beetles (1.5 in or 3.81 cm). For an American carrion beetle, the larva emerges from the egg after six days of incubation and takes 10-12 weeks to develop into an adult. The Burying beetle takes four days of incubation and takes 48-60 days to develop into an adult.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our giant African millipede facts, and atlas beetle fun facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable american carrion beetle coloring pages.
What type of animal is an American Carrion Beetle?
An American carrion beetle is an insect that belongs to the Silphidae family. They resemble bumblebees in flight.
Fun American Carrion Beetle Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
Fun American Carrion Beetle Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
Fun American Carrion Beetle Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
Fun American Carrion Beetle Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
What do they prey on? Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? 5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type Exoskeleton
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Not Listed
What do they prey on?
Dead animals, fruits, fungi
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
5-10 eggs
How much do they weigh?
N/A
How long are they?
0.5-0.78 in (13-20 mm)
How tall are they?
What do they look like?
Yellow pronotum and black marking
Skin Type
Exoskeleton
What were their main threats?
Humans
What is their conservation status?
Not Listed
Where you’ll find them? Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
Where you’ll find them?
Grasslands, Oak-hickory Forests
Locations
Canada, Rhode Island, Oklahoma
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Necrophila
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Necrophila
Class Insecta
Family Silphidae
