If you go down to the woods today… You’re sure of a big surprise!
 
We came across a dead mole on our walk yesterday, and on our way back were surprised to see it had been partially covered by leaves. We set up a video to record what we were seeing – it was quite unbelievable! 


“The Common sexton beetle is one of several burying beetle species in the UK. An undertaker of the animal world, it buries dead animals like mice and birds, and feeds and breeds on the corpses.”
 
And David Harper suggests that,

 
“It is a surprisingly effective way of sequestering fresh corpses for these Nicrophorus (often spelled Necrophorus) beetles. The different British species bury at different average depths.

What is happening hidden below ground is even more amazing than the burial. The pair of beetles work to entomb the corpse and construct a brood chamber leading up from crypt. You might expect that they would then venture forth for corpses new But instead they lay eggs and guard them, eventually feeding the larvae from the corpse. Only after the larvae can feed themselves and about to pupate, do the adults leave (although in reality males quite often do the dirty, skiving off earlier on to find a new female).
 
Parental care in Carrion Beetles – and the special stridulation signals the parents use to summon their young to a feeding depression in the corpse, where the can be regurgitated part-digested flesh – are fascinating topics. It is a terrific world.”
 
It was an incredible sight – nature at its best. There are glimpses of the beetles at work if you look carefully at the video below.

[The video shows a short 30 second section at 2x speed, followed by the entire video speeded up at 7x, then the entire video as we watched it in real time.]

Update

We went back today – and the mole had moved a good 2 or 3 feet from where we left it yesterday!

The wee beetles shifted the mole from where we found it yesterday (1) to it’s final resting place (2).