Common Burying Beetle vs Asian Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Burying Beetle Asian Cockroach
Scientific Name Nicrophorus vespillo Blattella asahinai
Order Coleoptera Blattodea
Family Silphidae Ectobiidae
Size 12-22 mm 13-16 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Carrion Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe Asia, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Burying Beetle

A large orange-and-black beetle that buries small animal carcasses for its larvae. Uses chemical cues to locate corpses from great distances. Shows remarkable parental care with both parents tending larvae.

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Did You Know?

Can bury a dead mouse completely underground in just a few hours by excavating soil from beneath the carcass.

Asian Cockroach

Nearly identical in appearance to the German cockroach but with very different behavior, as it lives outdoors and is strongly attracted to lights. It is an excellent flier.

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Did You Know?

The Asian cockroach is so similar to the German cockroach that even experts sometimes need laboratory analysis to distinguish the two species.