Black Burying Beetle vs Hairy Wood Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Burying Beetle Hairy Wood Ant
Scientific Name Nicrophorus humator Formica lugubris
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Silphidae Formicidae
Size 18-26mm 4-8 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Forests
Diet Carrion Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Burying Beetle

A large all-black burying beetle with orange-tipped antennae. It buries animal carcasses for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

One of the largest burying beetles in Europe and can inter a mouse-sized carcass in just a few hours.

Hairy Wood Ant

A large mound-building ant of upland coniferous forests with noticeably hairy body surfaces. It forms polydomous colonies with multiple interconnected nests.

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Did You Know?

A supercolony in the Swiss Jura mountains contained over 1,200 interconnected nests spanning 70 hectares.