When you are in a field or camping in a wooded area, do you ever wonder why it’s rare to see a dead animal or dead bird? One reason is that many of them are eaten by other animals and birds. But there is another quite interesting reason why many small dead creatures disappear.
The sexton beetle, also called the burying beetle, is a little undertaker. It is about 1 to 1½ inches long and is black with bright orange markings on its wings. This active little insect’s sensitive antennae detect the odor of a dead mouse, bird, snake or other dead creature. Finding the carcass, it inspects it carefully with its feelers before it begins digging a grave.
It crawls under the carcass first, going back and forth, from front to back, apparently measuring it. Then it leaves and explores the surface of the ground nearby, occasionally returning to look over the carcass. It finds a suitable area and digs several holes, loosening the soil and carrying it off to one side. This is the start of the grave digging.
It returns to the animal and begins heaving and tugging the carcass towards this grave. Having moved it an inch or so, it looks over the carcass again and returns to enlarge the hole. Then back to the carcass and soon off again to make the hole a little bigger. This process goes on for several hours.
As other sexton beetles are attracted to this activity, he chases away all males. But if a female shows up, he allows her to help him push and pull the carcass towards the hole. After several hours, they get it to the edge, then they push the carcass into the hole and dirt is scraped back in to cover it. They leave one side uncovered where the female lays eggs. While waiting for the eggs to hatch, the parents feed on the carcass.
After the newly hatched grubs appear, the adults feed them from the carcass until they can care for themselves. The parents leave, but they have made tunnels in the soil so the grubs can find their way to the surface after they mature and become grave diggers themselves.
Isn’t this an interesting way in which the Creator has arranged for the disposal of dead bodies that otherwise would become very unpleasant? It is another example of His wisdom in all that He has created. But He has done something far greater than this. His death on Calvary has atoned for the sins of all who trust in Him, so they can share heaven with Him for eternity.
Are you included in those who have come to Him, admitting you need to be cleansed from your sins and accepting Him as your Lord and Saviour?
ML-07/15/2001