Scavenger
From Palaeos
| TROPHIC GROUP |
| Carnivore | Deposit feeder | Herbivore | Omnivore | Parasite | Scavenger | Suspension feeder |
A scavenger is an animal that consumes already dead animals. Scavengers are useful to the ecosystem by feeding on and therefore breaking down dead animal remains. The remains that are left behind by the scavengers are then used even further by decomposers.
Well known scavengers include vultures, burying beetles, blowflies, and raccoons. Many large carnivores that hunt regularly--such as hyenas and lions--will scavenge if given the chance.
This article is a stub. You can help Palaeos.org by expanding it.
Credits
This page incorporates material from Wikipedia which is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Wikipedia url for material on this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scavenger
