The American Burying Beetle: An Intersting Insect that need a little help

Efforts to restore the endangered American burying beetle were held on Wah-Kon’Tah Prairie in western Missouri. 

Scientists have been raising American burying beetles in captivity and are having some success in reintroducing them in the wild. 

The beetles bury dead birds or rodents they find and then lay their eggs into the carcasses so the larvae have food just as they hatch. 

To help the beetles, staff dug holes and deposited carcasses of pen-raised quail for the beetles to feed their young. 

National Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest Winners Chosen

Grand Prize Winner is Kindergartener from St. Louis

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the International Child Art Foundation have announced the winners of the 2013 Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest. The art contest is an integral part of the 8th annual national Endangered Species Day on May

American Burying Beetle, created by Ava Bribiesco from Missouri,
 was selected as the grand prize winner
of the 2013 Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest.

17, 2013.

“Each one of the more than 2,000 young artists deserves our nation’s thanks for bringing focus to the plight of the Oahu tree snail, the Florida panther, and other threatened and endangered species that dwell in our mountains, valleys and waters,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “I am inspired by these talented young people who have depicted in art some of our nation's most precious natural resources.”

The Grand Prize was awarded to Ava Bribiesco, a kindergartener attending the International Schoolhouse in St. Louis, Missouri. Ava’s artwork depicted the endangered American burying beetle, a bright orange insect that is native to Missouri.

Colorful Endangered Beetle to Return to Southwest Missouri

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will reintroduce the colorful American burying beetle to a natural area in southwest Missouri as part of a partnership with the St. Louis Zoo to recover this native endangered species. The reintroduction will occur at Wah’kon-tah Prairie, a 3,030-acre site in St. Clair and Cedar counties, Missouri, jointly owned and managed by Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy. 

 The Service will work with the St. Louis Zoo, which maintains a captive population of American burying beetles, to release pairs of beetles in suitable habitat at the prairie. 

As part of the effort, the Service has designated the American burying beetles at Wah-kon-tah Prairie and surrounding counties (Cedar, St. Clair, Bates, Vernon)  as a “nonessential experimental” population.  This gives managers more flexibility in working with the reintroduced species, and also provides assurance to nearby private landowners that the presence of a protected species will not affect their activities.

The American burying beetle was designated a federally endangered species in 1989 - the first insect species to be so recognized.  Under the Endangered Species Act, plants and animals listed as endangered are at risk of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. 

The beetles are about 1 to 1.5 inches in length, with striking orange and black bodies. They are named for their habit of laying their eggs in carrion they bury underground, which sustains the larvae once they are hatched.

Historically, the American burying beetle was recorded in 35 states, including 13 counties throughout Missouri, and was most likely found throughout the state.  The last documented American burying beetle in Missouri was collected from Newton County (southwest Missouri) in the mid-1970s.  Monitoring for existing American burying beetle populations has been ongoing in Missouri since 1991, but none has been found.  The reasons for the dramatic decline of this species are still unknown.

For more information on the American burying beetle and the Service’s activities to recover endangered species, visit www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered 

Related articles

• Elk restoration enters second year
• Five students win MDC Endangered Species Postcard Contest
• Wildlife restoration, unusual animal sightings top 2011 conservation news
• Invasive Species Week has special significance in Missouri
• Service Announces Annual Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest