The dorsal surface of the elytra is covered in long, fine setae, especially laterally, giving it a hairy appearance.

Its most distinctive feature from other Silphidae is its clubbed antennae with three orange apical segments and a black base.

[3] It is thought that silphids, including N. orbicollis, arose in the early Mesozoic and spread to southern parts of Pangea before the separation into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.

Adults can be collected from February to October but are most commonly found during the summer months from June to August as a result of their efficient activity in warm weather.

[7] Most N. orbicollis have been collected in mesic forest habitats on human and carnivore feces as well as on rotten fruit and carrion.

[4] Nicrophorus orbicollis males will search for small bodies of animals such as chipmunks, rabbits, and toads in which to attract a mate.

[9] Once a male attracts a female, the pair will proceed to bury the animal carcass together, equally sharing the workload.

Unlike most beetle species, N. orbicollis parents will provide both food and protection for the larvae until pupation.

Nicrophorus orbicollis is an endopterygote with complete metamorphosis; the life cycle consists of an egg, larval, pupal, and adult stage.

[13] Nicrophorus orbicollis depends on small vertebrate carcasses to supply their young with an adequate food requirement.

Depending on the size of the carcass, the parents can control the number of offspring through a process called filial cannibalism.

Their ability to recycle dead, decomposing matter plays an indirect role in the health of the areas it inhabits.

After 5–8 days, the larvae will crawl into the surrounding soil to pupate and will emerge approximately 2 weeks later as adults.

[15] These timelines and the stages of the lifecycle of this beetle found on a carcass can all contribute to determining a time of death for forensic investigators.

In the past few years, most research on N. orbicollis has been centered on the species’ unique parenting habits, which have been found in no other genus of beetles.

Other notable studies have been based on examining the competition for animal carcasses between N. orbicollis and other Nicrophorus species.

[15] However, one recent study in Ohio bred N. americanus in captivity and then released the beetles back into the wild.

This study was used to evaluate the success rate of reintroduction in order to plan for a possible future attempt at increasing the population through assisted means.