Black Burying Beetle vs Snipe Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Burying Beetle Snipe Fly
Scientific Name Nicrophorus humator Rhagio scolopaceus
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Silphidae Rhagionidae
Size 18-26mm 10-15 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Hedgerows
Diet Carrion Feeders Predators
Regions Europe Europe
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.

Snipe Fly

A slender, brownish fly with a pointed abdomen and spotted wings that typically perches head-down on tree trunks and fence posts. Adults are ambush predators of smaller insects.

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Did You Know?

This fly characteristically rests head-down on vertical surfaces, earning it the folk name "down-looker fly," and lunges at passing prey from this position.