Scavenger

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/scavenger

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?N/A (Scavenger is a feeding strategy, not a single species)
2. What is the diet?Primarily carrion (dead animals); some are facultative scavengers with omnivorous tendencies
3. What do scavengers eat?Scavengers eat carrion, the meat of animals that have died. They help clean up leftovers so the environment stays tidy.
4. How do vultures find dead animals from high up?Vultures have a super strong nose that can smell a special gas called ethyl mercaptan from far away, even from high in the sky. This lets them find hidden carcasses quickly.

Carrion: The decaying flesh of dead animals, a primary food source for scavengers.
Obligate scavenger: An animal that relies solely on carrion for survival.
Facultative scavenger: An animal that scavenges opportunistically but also hunts or eats other food sources.