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Protecting food can be disgusting Burying beetles’ goop keeps rivals away from bounty By MARION RENAULT, Associated Press Published: January 26, 2021, 6:00am Share: 3 Photos This November 2020 photo provided by Dr. Vanessa R. Lane shows a Nicrophorus orbicollis beetle in Georgia. Burying beetles scout for a dead mouse or bird, dig a hole and bury it, pluck its fur or feathers, roll its flesh into a ball and cover it in goop _ all to feed their future offspring. Now scienti...

To feed their future offspring, beetles look for dead animals, like mice or birds. But before burying the animals for safe keeping, the insects clean the skin and roll the body into a ball. Then they cover the body in a thick liquid sometimes called goop. (Technically it is called “gut secretions.”)

Beetles Reveal How to Hide the Body A corpse is a home to the burying beetle, and UConn researchers are learning how this specialist critter keeps its home free of unwanted visitors. In new research published today in The American Naturalist, researchers from UConn and The University of Bayreuth have found these beetles recruit microbes to help throw rivals off the scent. (Illustration by John Bailey) Copy Link Nicrophorus orbicollis, begin looking for corpses. For these be...

Leaving No Trace: Beetles Hide the Scent of Food Buried For Their Offspring FOLLOW US ON: Some beetles go to great — and disgusting — lengths for their children. They scout for a dead mouse or bird, dig a hole and bury it, pluck its fur or feathers, roll its flesh into a ball and cover it in goop — all to feed their future offspring. Now scientists think that goo might do more than just slow decay. It also appears to hide the scent of the decomposing bounty and boosts another odor that re...

Some beetles go to great — and disgusting — lengths for their children. They scout for a dead mouse or bird, dig a hole and bury it, pluck its fur or feathers, roll its flesh into a ball and cover it in goop — all to feed their future offspring. Now scientists think that goo might do more than just slow decay. It also appears to hide the scent of the decomposing bounty and boosts another odor that repels competitors. “It helps them to hide their resource from others,” said Stephen Tru...

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New research suggests that some beetles are adept at hiding their food from competitors.