Our soils are full of tiny animals and insects that contribute to its formation. Without the hard work of these soil architects, we could not grow vegetables in our fields. It can take more than 1,000 years to form 2 to 3 cm (~ 1’’) of soil [UN]. The American Burying Beetle is one of the recycling specialists that keep or soils full of important nutrients. 

They can smell decaying flesh from a distance of 3.2 kilometres (nearly 2 mi). Before mating, the male and the female find a carcass of a small dead animal, which they bury and mummify [University of Michigan]. This guarantees the food supply for the entire family after the larvae have hatched and promote the transfer of nutrients into the soil. 

Due to habitat fragmentation and deforestation, the American Burying Beetle is critically endangered. Originally, it was found all over North America, but it is already extinct in Canada [University of Michigan]. 

Currently, we are seeing a drastic decline in the number of insect species, and are also losing our soils at an alarming rate. Every 5 seconds, the equivalent of one soccer field is washed and blown away by wind and water because we are not treating our soils sustainably [UN]. Therefore, the protection of soil and its inhabitants (such as these hardworking Burying Beetles) is very important. Each year on the 5th of December, the UN World Soil Day encourages people around the world to launch their own soil protection projects.

Write up by Charlotte Walter

UN, https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-soil-day
University of Michigan, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nicrophorus_americanus