What does an American Burying Beetle (ABB) look like?
An ABB is about an inch and a half long. It has a shiny black body with bright orange-red markings on its wing covers. There is also a striking orange-red mark immediately behind its head, an area called the pronotum. There is also an orange mark shaped like a triangle on females and like a square on males between the antennae. Finally, the orange coloring extends to the tip of its antennae and to its face. Why are they called “burying beetles”? The term burying beetle comes from the species’ unique method for mating and reproducing. It all begins when a male burying beetle locates the body of a dead animal, often a bird or a chipmunk weighing between 80 and 180 grams. (Sometimes a burying beetle will fly more than a half-mile following the smell of a dead animal!) Once he has found a carcass, he works to attract a mate. He may also have to fight over the carcass with other males; the females are often involved in the fight as well. Once the “victors” gain control of the carcass, they
