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.
“I can recall one instance where they actually had a skull, and they were trying to clean the skull for a potential murder investigation, and the beetles were used to clean the skull,” he added. “There certainly is a use for these forensically.”
For those who can stomach the stench, it’s an incredibly engaging process—emphasis on the “gag.” Check out this viral video of parrot versus flesh-eating beetle—we’ll let you guess who wins.
Beetles Be Eatin’
In the wild, the 12-millimeter-long scavengers decompose animals long since expired. But if you live in North America, they can also lurk in your walls or under floorboards.
Once indoors, the grubbers expand their palates. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory, dermestids will eat their way through materials like old books, carpets, or woolens.
This appetite for anything organic sometimes makes them a nuisance for museum personnel and taxidermists. Though it’s rare, adult dermestids have been known to fly, and escapees that find their way into exhibits can do considerable damage.
Flesh-eating beetles on the loose sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but people need to worry more about their linens than their limbs.
There’s an urban legend about the beetles getting out in large numbers and destroying things, Hansen said, but they don’t eat living flesh.
Or, at least, not that we know.
In the wild, the 12-millimeter-long scavengers decompose animals long since expired. But if you live in North America, they can also lurk in your walls or under floorboards.
Once indoors, the grubbers expand their palates. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory, dermestids will eat their way through materials like old books, carpets, or woolens.
This appetite for anything organic sometimes makes them a nuisance for museum personnel and taxidermists. Though it’s rare, adult dermestids have been known to fly, and escapees that find their way into exhibits can do considerable damage.
Flesh-eating beetles on the loose sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but people need to worry more about their linens than their limbs.
There’s an urban legend about the beetles getting out in large numbers and destroying things, Hansen said, but they don’t eat living flesh.
Or, at least, not that we know.
Watch Video Here:
National Geographic
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