What strength we found this Great Silver Beetle (Nicrophorus vespillaides) turning the body of this poor old shrew.
The beetle kept moving underneath the shrew and physically lifting it and moving it. One of our reference books describes exactly what it was doing. It is a distinctive Sexton Beetle which buries the corpses of small mammals and birds on which eggs are laid and larvae feed.
I also love the colours of the flies on the corpse.
Can you tell that I cannot find many birds at the moment!
6 comments:
Hi Mike,
Interesting post I would say...
Welcome to the world of birding, I cannot find any bird at the moment too!!! I do not know where they are but not around the area I used to visit! I guess I have to start to look for them on the winter patch!
Hi Mike, Lovely gruesome picture and fascinating:-) The number of birds visiting my garden has drop at the moment but it always does at this time of year. It will be about October that the numbers will start to increase depending on how much food there are out in the Countryside. I provide sunflower hearts, peanuts and niger seed. The niger seed is not been eaten quite so quickly as it did back in May and June, when I had a big influx of Siskins - a population explosion of Siskins I should say:)
I have not got many pictures at all so far this month, far too many evenings have been dark or raining or both.
Weekends have been mixed weather and then there have been shopping trips!!!
Great stuff. Im yet to find a sexton beetle, a fastinating insect
Thanks Neil. It is a very striking beetle.
Hello to human being on this attractive forum. Meet me put forward myself. I am contrive and i am event this website :
ligtv
Waiting for all these friends.
Best regards
Post a Comment