Carrion beetle

5716  My name is Rebecca, I live in Barrie Ontario. My son loves catching and collecting bugs. He found this one in our back yard. I’ve looked it up on line and the closes I can find to it is a wasp Beatle. But the information I’m getting is they are almost extinct and are in Europe. Would love more info so I can let my 4 year old bug hunt know what he has.

This is a carrion/sexton/burying beetle (Coleoptera: Silphidae) in the genus Nicrophorus; it looks like N. tomentosus – see http://tinyurl.com/jojmhew for an image and http://tinyurl.com/hhdhbhn for more detailed information on its life history. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.