noun
carrion beetle; burying beetle
Refers to beetles of the family Silphidae, especially those that bury carcasses. In everyday Japanese, the katakana form シデムシ is standard.
シデムシは動物の死骸を土に埋める習性がある。
Burying beetles have a habit of burying animal carcasses in the soil.
森の中でシデムシを見つけた。
I found a carrion beetle in the forest.
The name シデムシ is thought to derive from 死出 (しで, 'departure from life') + 虫 (むし, 'insect'), referring to its association with death and carcasses. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.