wasps drag drugged but living insects into previously constructed homes so the wasp larvae can safely feed on fresh meat. But to my knowledge, only one group of animals, beetles belonging to the group Nicrophorus, regularly moves carcasses to a suitable place and then deliberately buries them. Unlike humans, who generally bury only our own species and those pets who have become surrogate humans, these beetles bury a great diversity of birds and mammals but never their own kind. They bury dead animals as a food source for their larvae, and the burying is a central part of their mating and reproductive strategy." - Meaning and context.">
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Cats may scrape leaves and grass over dead prey to conceal it, and some wasps drag drugged but living insects into previously constructed homes so the wasp larvae can safely feed on fresh meat. But to my knowledge, only one group of animals, beetles belonging to the group Nicrophorus, regularly moves carcasses to a suitable place and then deliberately buries them. Unlike humans, who generally bury only our own species and those pets who have become surrogate humans, these beetles bury a great diversity of birds and mammals but never their own kind. They bury dead animals as a food source for their larvae, and the burying is a central part of their mating and reproductive strategy.

— Bernd Heinrich

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Cats may scrape leaves and grass over dead prey to conceal it, and some wasps drag drugged but living insects into previously constructed homes so the wasp larvae can safely feed on fresh meat. But to my knowledge, only one group of animals, beetles belonging to the group Nicrophorus, regularly moves carcasses to a suitable place and then deliberately buries them. Unlike humans, who generally bury only our own species and those pets who have become surrogate humans, these beetles bury a great diversity of birds and mammals but never their own kind. They bury dead animals as a food source for their larvae, and the burying is a central part of their mating and reproductive strategy." in the context of "p. 3" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Bernd Heinrich" (Quotes, Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death (2012)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Bernd Heinrich

About Bernd Heinrich

Bernd Heinrich, Ph.D (born 19 April 1940) is a professor in the zoology department at the University of Vermont. He has authored books about nature writing, zoology, ecology, and evolution. His father was the ichneumon expert Gerd Heinrich (1896–1984).