Grave beetles belong to the family of dead-eaters. As the name suggests, their main feature is eating all kinds of carrion. On the one hand, such behavior causes obvious disgust, and on the other, a justifiable respect, since these creatures assume the role of orderlies in the forest.
However, what is more remarkable grave beetles? Do they have something that other insect species do not have? And why do scientists believe that these creatures are the best parents in the world of beetles?
Habitat
What countries does the grave-beetle live in? Photos taken by naturalists prove that you can meet representatives of this species in almost all corners of the planet, with the exception of Australia and some parts of Africa. At the same time, the grave diggers themselves prefer to settle in the forests, but even in the steppe they will feel more than comfortable. The main thing is that the area is abundantly filled with food, since this species is very gluttonous.
What does the grave-beetle look like?
In many respects, the appearance of the insect depends on its habitat. In particular, beetles from different parts of the Earth are distinguished by their size. So, the South American subspecies grave digger has a body length of not more than 1 cm, while its Russian "relative" can reach 3, or even 4 cm.
As for color, almost the entire beetle is black. The gravedigger has only a few orange spots on its wings, and sometimes on its upper chest. Such a gamut very successfully emphasizes the specifics of these insects, thereby giving them a special charm. It should also be noted the fact that the beetle has a pair of powerful antennae on its head, at the end of which there are pronounced seals.
Is the grave-beetle omnivorous: what does this species eat?
Despite the fact that this species belongs to the family of dead-eaters, the basis of its diet is by no means carrion. Naturally, they also eat animal carcasses, but in this case there are a number of rules that limit beetles in their appetite. The reason for this behavior lies in the peculiarities of the reproduction process of grave diggers, but we will consider this issue a bit later.
More importantly, beetles are aggressive predators that eat other insects. By and large, hunting is carried out on small inhabitants of their range, such as aphids, ladybugs, caterpillars and so on. Simply put, grave-digger beetles are capable of eating anything that can fit into their mouths.
Behavior features
Grave-diggers spend most of their lives in splendid isolation, scouring the countryside in search of falling. They are assisted in this by special receptors located at the end of the antennae. Thanks to them, the beetle is able to smell the decaying body at a distance of more than 100 meters. And after that, nothing will stop the stubborn insect from traveling to its intended target.
Having discovered the subject of his searches, the grave-beetle soberly assesses the suitability of prey. If the object is in good condition, it gives an aromatic signal informing the nearest relatives of a valuable find. Often, help comes pretty quickly, after which a careful distribution of roles begins.
So, if the male found the prey, then it belongs to him the right to be the head of a new family. If it was a female, then she chooses the most worthy gentleman as her husband. By the way, most often it is the males who find the corpses of animals, since they devote much more time to this process than their halves.
The true purpose of the corpse
As mentioned earlier, adult grave-digger beetles rarely eat the remains found on the road. Instead, they together bury the corpse in the ground, which is why, in fact, these insects got their dark name. But the reason for this behavior is not a desire to clear the forest of rotting carrion, but a completely natural desire to continue the genus.
So, the "buried" corpse is an excellent source of food for the young generation of beetles. That is, only after the find is buried in the ground, the grave diggers begin to mate. And then the female simply lays eggs next to the carrion, thereby guaranteeing children safety when they are born.
How do they bury corpses
Given the small size of the insects, a logical question arises: "How do they bury the found remains of animals?" In fact, everything here is quite simple. Beetles simply dig under the body and begin to loosen the ground. This leads to the fact that the soil becomes less dense, and the remains begin to gradually fall down, as if plunging into quicksand.
More noteworthy is how the grave-digger beetles process the body after its “burial”. So, they clean it of wool or feathers, and then cover it with a special antibacterial secretion from the glands. Thanks to this, the animal’s corpse can lie underground for several weeks and not decompose.
Incredible Care for Offspring
After laying eggs, the male and female leave the nest for two weeks. But then they return there again in order to meet a new generation. Such care for their children is extremely curious for researchers, since this is not often seen in the world of insects.
True, young parents are not as humane as it might seem at first glance. After all, they mercilessly destroy all the larvae that were born weak or underdeveloped. Only healthy individuals have the right to go to a large feast, where they are accompanied by adult grave-beetles.
Moreover, the parents themselves also participate in eating the corpse. And this is most striking, as the fact proves that before that the beetles refused their food only because of the care of their children. After the meal, the larvae burrow deep into the ground, after which they turn into pupae. And after two weeks a new generation of grave-bugs appears from them, and the whole life cycle repeats in a new circle.