Scavenger - Animals

Animals

Well known scavengers of animal material include vultures, burying beetles, blowflies, yellowjackets, owls, and raccoons. Many large carnivores that hunt regularly, such as hyenas, but also animals rarely thought of as scavengers such as lions, tigers, and wolves, will scavenge if given the chance or use their size and ferocity to intimidate the original hunters (the cheetah is a notable exception); on the other hand, almost all scavengers above insect size will hunt if there is not enough carrion available, as no ecosystem provides enough dead animals year-round to keep its scavengers fed on that alone. Scavenger Dogs and crows frequently exploit roadkill. Scavengers of dead plant material include termites that build nests in grasslands and then collect dead plant material for consumption within the nest. The interaction between scavenging animals and humans is seen today most commonly in suburban settings with animals such as opossums, pole cats, and raccoon. In some African towns and villages scavenging from hyenas is also common.

Animals which consume feces, such as dung beetles, are referred to as coprovores. Animals that collect small particles of dead organic material of both animal and plant origin are referred to as detritivores.