American Burying Beetle
photo by US Forest Service
Wayne National Forest reintroduction – 2009
The American Burying Beetle
The American Burying beetle was declared critically endangered in 1989. Scientist are not sure what caused the decline in the population of the American burying beetle, but they suspect it is due to land changes that affect the American burying beetles’ food sources and natural habitat.
This beetle is among a group of beetles referred to as Carrion beetles. These beetles are important to the environment because they recycle the remains of deceased animals and return vital nutrients back into the soil, which feeds soil microorganisms and keeps the soil fertile.
The American burying beetle does not have a distinct habitat but have been found through-out Ohio and other states, and some were even found in Canadian provinces. Scientist are unaware of the exact location because these beetle’s natural habitat is actually in the carcasses of deceased animals that have to be medium to large such as a dove or small primate. With the increase in human land coverage many species of animals have decline in population which in turn directly affects the burying beetle’s food source and home. Without the remains of these specific animals the burying beetle’s population also declines.
When scientist declared the American burying beetle critically endangered, they began a conservation program to help re-build the American burying beetle population. A partnership was established between many great divisions in Ohio to help with the conversation program such as The Wilds, US Fish and Wildlife services, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Cincinnati Zoo, Fernald Preserve and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of wildlife. These great divisions have worked together for over 8 years to finally be re-introducing the American Burying beetle back into the environment beginning June 6, 2019. They plan on releasing the beetle at the Wilds, a non-profit safari park and conservation center located in Cumberland, Ohio.
Upon releasement the beetles will be monitored in order to make sure they are able to survive the wild. The American Burying beetles usually mate in pairs and produce a brood size ranging from 1-30, the American burying beetles only live for 1 year and so they produce more offspring to ensure their survival of the species.
This conservation program may have taken some time, but they have succeeded in bringing a critically endangered insect back from the brink of near extinction. Scientist hope to see this beetle repopulated in areas all other Ohio without their help. Scientist also plan to continue to study the beetle to see if it is an important environmental marker for the land, once scientist is able to uncover the specific reasons of the decline in the population they may be able to better understand the overall health of the land what it takes to keep the environment at optimal levels.
Work Cited
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s New England Field Office, May 29, 2019. American Burying Beetle, fact sheet U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region. https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/ambb/abb_fact.html
Division of wildlife, June 6, 2019. ODNR Works with Partners to Help Protect American Burying Beetles, Division of Wildlife. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/stay-informed/news-announcements/post/odnr-works-with-partners-to-help-protect-american-burying-beetles
Photo from by US Forest Service, Wayne National Forest reintroduction – 2009