Information about the American Burying Beetle: The American Burying Beetle – also called the Giant carrion beetle, is a critically endangered species of beetle native to North America. It belongs to the order Coleoptera and the family Silphidae. It is carnivorous, feeding on carrion and also requires carrion to breed. It is one of the few species of beetle to exhibit parental care. The beetle used to be very widespread over much of the central eastern US and parts of southern Canada. But now it inhabits about 10% of it’s original range. This decline has been attributed to habitat loss, alteration, and degradation of it’s habitat, along with uses of pesticides and other chemicals for agriculture. Now, natural populations are known to occur in only five states: on Block Island in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Dakota and Nebraska. They have also been reintroduced to Ohio. The species is now considered critically endangered by several environmental groups. Biologists have not been able to explain why the beetle has disappeared from so many areas. The dramatic disappearance of this insect from many areas, however, took place before widespread use of DDT.