burying beetle

American  

noun

1. any of various carrion beetles that bury the carcasses of small animals, especially rodents, in which their eggs have been deposited.

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burying beetle British  

noun

1. Also called: sexton.  a beetle of the genus Necrophorous , which buries the dead bodies of small animals by excavating beneath them, using the corpses as food for themselves and their larvae: family Silphidae

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Etymology

Origin of burying beetle

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

To protect species such as the rusty patched bumble bee and the American burying beetle, for example, EPA proposes prohibiting spraying with fine droplets in order to lessen drift, and other actions.

From Science Magazine

Something similar happened in Oklahoma and Texas, where cotton farmers briefly couldn’t use Enlist Duo last year because of risk to the endangered American burying beetle.

From Science Magazine

Yet perhaps none of the animals on the list have a story quite like the American burying beetle, at least in terms of their political background.

From Salon

As of 2020, the American burying beetle's numbers had declined more than 90 percent despite the beetle previously inhabiting much of the eastern United States.

From Salon

Trump officials also made it easier to remove protections for threatened species, such as the American burying beetle, which once scurried nearly everywhere east of the Rockies but now lives in only a few parts of the country and is further threatened by climate change.

From Washington Post