Necrophila americana
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The American carrion beetle (Necrophila americana, formerly Silpha americana) is a North American beetle of the family Silphidae. It lays its eggs in, and its larvae consume, raw flesh (particularly that of dead animals) and fungi. The larvae and adults also consume fly larvae and the larvae of other carrion beetles that compete for the same food sources as their larvae. They prefer to live in marshy and woody habitats. Necrophila americana emerge from their larval state in the early summer. A cuckoo bumble bee, Bombus ashtoni, displays close mimicry with the American carrion beetle. They are important in forensic studies because of their tendency to thrive on large carcasses.
Necrophila americana are distinctive in that they have a relatively large, broadly rounded, and flattened body with a yellow pronotum. It is the only North American silphid with a mostly yellow pronotum, and it is the only species of Necrophila found in North America, as all other species are found in Asia. There is sexual dimorphism, with the males having rounded elytral apices and females having their apices more prolonged. They typically range from 12 to 22 millimeters long. The larvae can... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an American Carrion Beetle sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 93 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an American Carrion Beetle in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Carrion Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate American Carrion Beetle sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Voyageurs National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same family: Staphylinidae
The closest relatives of the American Carrion Beetle that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Staphylinidae, Rove Beetles) are Brown Rove Beetle (about 10%), Tomentose Burying Beetle (about 10%) and Margined Carrion Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Carrion Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (93 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
