carrionfeeding

Carrion feeding, also called necrophagy, is the act of consuming dead animal tissue. This behavior occurs across many animal groups, including birds, mammals, insects, and microbes. It involves both specialized scavengers that routinely exploit carcasses and opportunistic feeders that take advantage of a fresh kill or a partially decomposed carcass.

In ecosystems, carrion feeding plays a key role in decomposition and nutrient cycling. Scavengers help remove carcasses, thereby influencing community structure and energy flow. Insects such as blowflies and flesh flies, and beetles such as silphids and dermestids, often initiate and drive the decomposition process, followed by larger scavengers like vultures, hyenas, and some carnivores. This activity can also reduce disease transmission by quickly removing animal remains, though carrion can harbor pathogens and attract pests.

Organisms exhibit a range of adaptations for carrion feeding. Birds of prey and vultures use keen vision and, in some species, olfactory cues to locate carcasses. Insects rapidly colonize discarded tissue and undergo life cycles that depend on carrion availability. Mammalian scavengers may forage singly or in groups, employing social foraging strategies in some species.

Human relevance includes forensic science, where the study of insect succession and scavenger activity helps estimate time since death. Carrion feeding provides important ecosystem services by accelerating decomposition and recycling nutrients, but it can also pose health risks and conflict with livestock management in certain contexts. The term necrophagy encompasses this behavior across taxa, while necrophilous organisms specifically describe those that thrive on dead matter.