What it is
The American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is a carrion specialist: adults bury small vertebrate carcasses as food for their larvae. It is listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Remnant populations persist in a few states. This card does not invent a global IUCN assessment: the pack has no IUCN slug for the species.
Range
Once much of the eastern and central United States. Today, scattered remnants (including parts of the Great Plains and New England) and reintroduction sites. Not a Eurasian burying beetle.
What happened
As forests and grasslands were converted and carcasses became scarce or toxic, the beetle vanished from most of its former map. ESA listing, captive rearing, and releases have kept a few populations on the books. Recovery is local, not a restored continent.
When / status
Federally listed in the United States. Remnant and managed populations only.
Human role
Land conversion and a thinned carrion supply; later law and releases kept a remnant.
Sources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species page (Nicrophorus americanus).