Subject: Hide Beetle or Skin Beetle, Omorgus sp.

Location: Mescalero Sands, Chaves County, New Mexico

Stock Number: 06-24631 above. Below are 06-24647 and 06-24649.

Comment: Many members of this genus feed on carrion, or more specifically, the dried skin, fur, or feathers associated with carcasses. Some, like those in this photo, feed on the fur found in owl pellets and coyote scat. Still other Omorgus species live in the nests of birds or mammals and feed on the fur and feathers found there.

A few species may also be found in dung, and it has been reported that the larvae of at least one Omorgus species feeds on grasshopper eggs and seed pods.