Which term describes consumers that feed on the remains of dead animals?

Which term describes consumers that feed on the remains of dead animals?

• A. Scavengers
• B. Detritivores
• C. Decomposers
• D. Nutrients

Answer: (A)

Scavengers are the organisms that feed on the remains of dead animals. They specialize in carrion, cleaning up carcasses and recycling energy back into the ecosystem. Examples include vultures, hyenas, and some birds and insects that quickly exploit a dead animal. This differs from detritivores, which eat detritus like leaf litter and organic fragments from various sources, not specifically carcasses. Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead material at the molecular level and release nutrients back into the environment, rather than consuming large remains themselves. Nutrients is not a consumer type at all, so it doesn’t describe an organism that feeds on remains.

Scavengers are the organisms that feed on the remains of dead animals. They specialize in carrion, cleaning up carcasses and recycling energy back into the ecosystem. Examples include vultures, hyenas, and some birds and insects that quickly exploit a dead animal.

This differs from detritivores, which eat detritus like leaf litter and organic fragments from various sources, not specifically carcasses. Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead material at the molecular level and release nutrients back into the environment, rather than consuming large remains themselves. Nutrients is not a consumer type at all, so it doesn’t describe an organism that feeds on remains.