January 18, 2013

Flesh-Eating Beetles Explained

Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato, National Geographic


AP Photo

The word “dermestid” derives from the Greek word meaning “skin,” and the insect is aptly named. These creepy crawlies will eat the flesh off  carcasses in a process called skeletonization. (Also see “Flesh-Eating Caterpillars Discovered in Hawaii.”)

 

Read Full Article ››

TAGGED: detrivore, scavenger, beetles, forensics

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

January 9, 2013
Virtual Autopsy: No More 'Perfect Murders'?
Kate Connolly, Guardian
Stand aside Dr Quincy, you may no longer be required: the inventor of a state-of-the-art computer-assisted autopsy system that is increasingly being used in European hospitals has claimed the technique could eventually mean there... more ››