Nicrophorus quadripunctatus
Social behavior
Social behavior
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The mother lays her eggs in the soil nearby the carrion. Eggs are often laid asynchronously, so hatching also takes place asynchronously. Once they hatch, they migrate to the carrion to be fed by their parents. Larvae are in direct competition with each other for food resources. This is exacerbated by the different hatching times. Early hatching larvae typically obtain more food and grow to be larger and stronger.

*N. quadripunctatus* larvae beg to be fed by their parents by raising their head and waving their legs in the direction of their parents mouths. Without parental assistance, *N. quadripunctatus* are unable to obtain food, and thus die before the [dispersal](/wiki/Biological_dispersal "Biological dispersal") stage. Mothers elicit begging through the emission of the [antimicrobial](/wiki/Antimicrobial "Antimicrobial"), [aromatic](/wiki/Aromaticity "Aromaticity") compound, [2\-phenoxyethanol](/wiki/Phenoxyethanol "Phenoxyethanol"). This compound is secreted into the parent’s regurgitation prior to provisioning. Pheromone\-informed begging is postulated to be a cost reducing behavior for both parents and larvae because it limits superfluous begging. The intensity of the begging behavior is indicative of how hungry the larva is. Larvae exhibit more begging towards the mother than father, regardless of hunger status.


Are there any cultural or social differences in how N. quadripunctatus care for their young?