Bug card No. 0280 of 4,939

Banded sexton beetle

Nicrophorus investigator

The banded sexton beetle is a burying beetle. Burying beetles are nature's tidy-up crew. They find small dead animals and bury them in the ground.

Lives in

Northern lands, including Europe, in meadows and forests

Top speed

about 0.5 km/h (0.31 mph)

On foot, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Harmless

Harmless to people. It does not sting.

What does it eat?

Burying beetles like it feed on dead animals, and they bury small ones as food for their young.

A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)

A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)

Banded sexton beetle about 0.5 km/h (0.31 mph)

A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

It was first described in 1824 by the Swedish scientist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt.

Burying beetles dig away the soil under a dead mouse or bird until it sinks into the ground.

Burying beetle parents stay with their babies and look after them, which is rare for beetles.

you asked

?What does a sexton beetle do?

It buries small dead animals in the ground, where its babies can feed on them.

?Is the banded sexton beetle dangerous?

No. It is harmless to people and helps keep nature clean.

Nicrophorus investigator (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
Picture by gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

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