User:Cheesecakestarship/Forensic entomology

Carrion beetles – family Silphidae. Carrion beetles belong to the order Coleoptera, which contains 15 genera and 200 species. Within the Carrion beetle family, Silphidae has two subfamilies; Nicrophorinae, which are primarily found in the Northern Hemisphere and Silphinae, which are distributed worldwide. Adult Silphidae has an average size of about 12 mm. The name “carrion” or “burying” beetles correlates with the carcass-breeding beetle's biological behaviours, in which they lay their eggs in carcasses. Typically they display a bright orange, yellow, or red pattern on their dark back, although some of their backs are all black. These insects have flat flexible bodies and wings (Editors of Encyclopaedia, 2011). Allowing them to squeeze into tight spaces between carcasses, rocks, and soil. These adult beetles and freshly hatched larvae's choice of food is dead and decaying animals, which serve not just as a source of food but also as a shelter during development. Both parents tend to their young and exhibit communal breeding. The male carrion beetle's job in care is to provide protection for the breed and carcass from competitors.