An American Black Vulture feeding on squirrel carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion eaters, or scavengers, include hyenas, vultures, Tasmanian Devils, Bald Eagles, and Blue-tongued lizards. Many invertebrates, such as worms and carrion beetles (family Silphidae) also eat carrion and play an important role in recycling animal remains. Image File history File linksMetadata Black_Vulture. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Black_Vulture. ... Binomial name Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) A common New World vulture, the American Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, tends to have a more southerly distribution than its compatriot, the Turkey Vulture, which breeds well into Canada. ... This article is about the animal. ... Carrion may refer to: Carrion, a carcass Carrion beetle, a family of carnivirous beetles Carrion/Apologies to Insect Life, a song by the band British Sea Power Carrion Crow, a species of bird Carrion (comics), a villain in Spider-Man comics Carrión de los Condes, a municipality in Spain... This tigers sharp teeth and strong jaws are the classical physical traits expected from carnivorous mammalian predators A carnivore (IPA: ), meaning meat eater (Latin carne meaning flesh and vorare meaning to devour), is an animal that eats a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from live animals... Pigs are omnivores. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... Categories: Stub ... Subfamilies and Genera Hyaenidae Crocuta Hyaena Parahyaena Protelinae Proteles Hyenas or Hyænas are moderately large terrestrial carnivores native to Africa, Arabia, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... For other uses, see Tasmanian Devil (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1766) Bald Eagle range  Resident, breeding Summer visitor, breeding Winter visitor On migration only Star: accidental records Subspecies (Linnaeus, 1766) Southern Bald Eagle (Audubon, 1827) Northern Bald Eagle Synonyms Falco leucocephalus Linnaeus, 1766 The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America... Species See text Western blue-tongued skink Centralian blue-tongued skink from the Tanami desert Blue-tongued lizards are one of the largest members of the skink family. ... Invertebrate is a term coined by Chevalier de Lamarck to describe any animal without a backbone or vertebra, like insects, squids and worms. ... Subfamilies Nicrophorinae Silphinae (15 genera) Carrion beetles (Family Silphidae) are a minor group of beetles, consisting of about 300 species. ...

Carrion begins to decay the moment of the animal's death, and it will increasingly attract insects and breed bacteria. Not long after the animal has died, its body will begin to smell of a foul odor, caused by the presence of bacteria. Some plants and fungi fake the scent of decomposing carrion to attract insects to aid in reproduction. Plants that exhibit this behavior are known as carrion flowers. Stinkhorn mushrooms are examples of fungi with this characteristic. Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Subkingdom/Phyla Chytridiomycota Blastocladiomycota Neocallimastigomycota Glomeromycota Zygomycota Dikarya (inc. ... “Spoilage” redirects here. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera... For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ... Stinking flowers or Carrion flowers are flowers that smell like rotting flesh. ... Genera Clathrus Mutinus Phallus Stinkhorns are a type of fungus which produce a foul-scented, rod-shaped mushroom. ...

Carrion is also a breeding ground for disease. It is recommended that one use proper gloves (such as rubber) to handle it, and wash one's hands thoroughly afterward.