A more or less permanent supply of dead animals in nature could contribute considerably to biodiversity in The Netherlands. Various vertebrate scavengers and more than a
thousand species of snails, earthworms, spiders, harvestmen, mites woodlice, centipedes,
springtails and insects can live from and in this mini-ecosystem. Unfortunately, there
still rests a relative big taboo on purposely leaving large cadavers in the field. This article
reviews the state of the art with regard to this phenomenon as well as current knowledge
about carrion-inhabiting Coleoptera in The Netherlands and hopes to contribute to
the recognition of the importance and acceptance of the presence of dead animals in
Dutch nature.