scavenger, animal that feeds partly or wholly on the bodies of dead animals. Many invertebrates, such as carrion beetles, live almost entirely on decomposing animal matter. The burying beetles actually enter the dead bodies of small animals before feeding on them underground.
Among vertebrates there are species such as the vultures that exist solely on carrion. Most vertebrates show more flexibility. The bald eagle will scavenge dead fish whenever possible, but it hunts when necessary and will rob the kill of an osprey. Most large mammalian predators—e.g., the lion and the wolf—will opportunistically eat of a carcass killed by another animal. The spotted hyena, widely known as a scavenger, has heavy jaws equipped for crushing bones. Lone hyenas live mostly on carrion, but where large populations exist they form packs and hunt by night. A clan of 30 hyenas may drive off a small group of lions and steal their kill.