Carrion Beetle

American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana). Beetles that do good things for our environment. They’re able to smell decaying flesh from a long distance and automatically take off for a next meal. They eat rotting flesh of dead animals which gives them the name of decomposer. They’ll also eat insect larvae feeding on decaying animals which they themselves are working to consume. They on occasion will eat fungi and rotting fruit.

These Carrion Beetles live in United States and southern Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains. Most adults are about 1.2 inches. Pretty large.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Carrion Beetle”

  2. Hi Bonnie,

    American Carrion Beetles have a very creepy “job” to do, but they are definitely a huge help for our environment. In my book, something definitely to look favorably upon, if you can get past the ick factor!

    Thanks so very much for reading my posts!

    Sending hugs
    Bren

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