American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)
Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Zoo
Status: Endangered, listed
July 13, 1989
Habitat: Many types of habitat, with a slight preference for grasslands
and open understory oak hickory forests. However, the beetles need
carrion the size of a dove or a chipmunk to reproduce. Carrion availability
may be the greatest factor determining where the species can survive.
Lead Region: 2
Region 3 Lead Office: Ohio Field Office
Range: Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas
Status Review for Two Midwestern Species includes American Burying Beetle
March 16, 2016
The American burying beetle is included in a batch of 90-findings in response to petitions to list, delist and reclassify 29 species. The Service has received a petition to delist this beetle for which there is substantive information to warrant a thorough assessment.
More information ยป
Reintroduction in Missouri
Reintroduction Slideshow
News Release (March 21, 2012) - Colorful Endangered Beetle to Return to Southwest Missouri
Federal Register Final Rule: Establishment of a
Nonessential Experimental Population
of American Burying Beetle in
Southwestern Missouri (March 22, 2012)
St. Louis Zoo's Center American Burying Beetle Conservation
Natural History and Status Information:
Fact Sheet
South Dakota Field Office Fact Sheet
American burying beetle: We couldn't live without them (from the StLToday.com)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Profile
American Burying Beetle 5-Year Review: March 2008 (53-page PDF 3.43MB)
Recovery Actions
News Release (May 17, 2012): Celebrate Endangered Species Day! Bring back the Endangered American Burying Beetle
Surveying for the American burying beetle (Saint Louis Zoo; Oct. 7, 2009) - YouTube Video
June 9, 2009: American Burying Beetle Reintroduction: Endangered Species Returned to Wayne National Forest
Recovering a Strange, Elusive Gravedigger by Hayley Dikeman in Spring 2009 Endangered Species Technical Bulletin
Reintroducing the American Burying Beetle (Aug. 2008)
Midwest Endangered Species Home