burying beetle
noun
: any of various beetles (family Silphidae and especially genus Nicrophorus) that bury and lay eggs on the carcasses of small animals which provide a food source for the developing larvae
Examples of burying beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just as observation and a dose of evolutionary logic revealed male burying beetles not as attentive fathers but as possessive mate guarders, the natural and behavioral sciences deflated my dreamy credo, exposing my lofty aspirations as performance and self-deception.
—
Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
My job was to collect burying beetles—necrophagous critters with wing cases the colors of Halloween—using traps made out of coffee cans and chicken flesh.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
The Saint Louis Zoo pulled nearly $900,000 in money designated for conservation programs, including one dedicated to monitoring and reintroducing the endangered American burying beetle.
—Jennifer Oldham, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2020
Schwing: After 100 million years or so of practice, burying beetle parents have the job down cold...but also stench-free and ready for eating.
—Emily Schwing, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2021
The Center sued the USFWS on March 25 to challenge the Trump administration's downlisting of the American burying beetle from endangered to threatened.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2021
What’s the difference between a suburban parent and a burying beetle?
—Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 11 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
My job was to collect burying beetles—necrophagous critters with wing cases the colors of Halloween—using traps made out of coffee cans and chicken flesh.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
The Saint Louis Zoo pulled nearly $900,000 in money designated for conservation programs, including one dedicated to monitoring and reintroducing the endangered American burying beetle.
—Jennifer Oldham, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2020
Schwing: After 100 million years or so of practice, burying beetle parents have the job down cold...but also stench-free and ready for eating.
—Emily Schwing, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2021
The Center sued the USFWS on March 25 to challenge the Trump administration's downlisting of the American burying beetle from endangered to threatened.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2021
What’s the difference between a suburban parent and a burying beetle?
—Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 11 Sep. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near burying beetle
Cite this Entry
“Burying beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burying%20beetle. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share