Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as carpet beetles, larder, hide or leather beetles, skin beetles, and khapra beetles. There
are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide. They can range in size from 1–12 mm. Dermestids have a variety of habits. Adults generally feed and mate on
flowers; larvae are generally scavengers that feed on dry animal or plant material, such as skin or pollen, animal hair, feathers, dead insects and natural fibers.

Carpet beetles are significant in forensics: some species are known to be associated with decaying carcasses, which helps with criminal investigations.
Some species are pests and can cause extensive damage to natural fibers in homes and businesses. They are used in taxidermy and by natural history
museums to clean animal skeletons. Some dermestid species infest violin cases, feeding on the bow hair.