Nicrophorus tomentosus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Nicrophorus tomentosus (gold-necked carrion beetle or tomentose burying beetle) is a species of burying beetle that was described by Friedrich Weber in 1801. The beetle belongs to the family Silphidae which are carrion beetles. The beetles have sensitive antennae that contain olfactory organs. Thus, the beetle can locate dead animals (carcass), and then as the name suggests, can bury them. However, unlike other burying beetles, N. tomentosus does not completely bury these brood carcasses. They instead dig a shallow hole under the carcass and cover it with leaf litter. Recognition of these beetles can be distinguished by its black color with orange markings on the wing covers (elytra).
The genus name, Nicrophorus, means “death carrier”; tomentosus means "covered in short hair", referring to the pronotum. There are several characteristics that differentiate Silphidae from other families. One characteristic is that N. tomentosus is about 11.2–19.0 millimeters in length. It also has a pair of striations on its fifth abdominal tergum. They also have a very large scutellum which can sometimes be as wide as its head. The segments of its antennae are all... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tomentose Burying Beetle sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 220th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tomentose Burying Beetle in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and December–June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tomentose Burying Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Tomentose Burying Beetle sightings, Shenandoah National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tomentose Burying Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (17 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.
