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Information about Scavenger

For a person who scavenges, see Waste picker. For other uses, see Scavenger (disambiguation).
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Raven feeding on a small dead shark
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Harvestman eating the tail of a five-lined skink


Scavengers are animals that consume already dead animals (carrion). Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by contributing to the decomposition of dead animal remains. Decomposers complete this process, by consuming the remains left by scavengers.

Well known scavengers include vultures, burying beetles, blowflies, yellowjackets, and raccoons. Many large carnivores that hunt regularly--such as hyenas and lions--will scavenge if given the chance.

Animals which consume feces, such as dung beetles, are also referred to as scavengers. Animals which primarily consume dead plants (litter) are referred to as detritivores.

See also

References

  • Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
  • Smith TM, Smith RL (2006) Elements of Ecology. Sixth edition. Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA.
  • Chase, et al. The Scavenger Handbook. Bramblewood Press, Santa Barbara, CA.
waste picker, or a scavenger, is a person who picks out recyclable elements from mixed waste wherever it may be temporarily accessible or disposed of [1]. A person who scavenges for junk, food, materials, or other items is also referred to as a scavenger.
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Scavenger can refer to:
  • Scavenger, an animal that feeds on carcasses
  • Scavenger (chemistry), a method of removing impurities
  • Scavenger (comics), two comic book characters
  • Scavenger (pump)
  • Scavenger (Transformers), characters in the Transformers

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ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all the non-living physical factors of the environment.
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Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the reduction of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of matter.

Plant decomposition

See also:  and

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Decomposers (or saprotrophs) are organisms that consume dead organisms, and, in doing so, carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use organic substrates to get their energy, carbon and nutrients
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VULTURE is the name of a fictional international crime cartel in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in House of Mystery #160 July (1966), created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.
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Nicrophorus
Fabricius, 1775

Species

See text.

Burying beetles or sexton beetles (genus Nicrophorus) are the best-known members of the family Silphidae (carrion beetles).
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Calliphoridae

Subfamilies
  • Calliphorinae
  • Chrysomyinae


Blow-flies (also frequently spelled blow flies or blowflies) are members of the family Calliphoridae of flies (Diptera).
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Vespula or Dolichovespula

“Yellow Jacket” redirects here. For the town in the United States, see Yellow Jacket, Colorado.

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P. lotor

Binomial name
Procyon lotor
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Raccoon native range in red, feral range in blue.

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carnivore (IPA: /ˈkɑrnɪvɔər/), meaning 'meat eater' (Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare
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Hyaenidae
Gray, 1821

Subfamilies and Genera
  • Hyaeninae
  • Crocuta
  • Hyaena
  • Parahyaena

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P. leo

Binomial name
Panthera leo
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution of lions in Africa


Synonyms
Felis leo
(Linnaeus, 1758)

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Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. The word faeces is the plural of the Latin word fæx meaning "dregs".
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Dung beetles are those beetles which feed partly or exclusively on feces. All of these species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea; most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae.
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Detritivores (also known as detrivores or detritus feeders) are animals that consume detritus (decomposing organic material), and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients.
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carnivore (IPA: /ˈkɑrnɪvɔər/), meaning 'meat eater' (Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare
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Detritivores (also known as detrivores or detritus feeders) are animals that consume detritus (decomposing organic material), and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients.
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Decomposers (or saprotrophs) are organisms that consume dead organisms, and, in doing so, carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use organic substrates to get their energy, carbon and nutrients
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Necrophagy is the act of feeding on corpses or carrion that were not killed to be eaten by the predator or others of its species. The word is derived from Ancient Greek "nekros" meaning corpse or dead and "phagos" meaning to eat.
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A saprotroph (or saprobe) is an organism that obtains its nutrients from non-living organic matter, usually dead and decaying plant or animal matter, by absorbing soluble organic compounds.
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Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism known as an herbivore, consumes principally autotrophs[1] such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria.
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