Vultures obligate scavengers, which means they only eat dead animals. Most scavengers will hunt for prey if there aren’t enough dead animals around, and many predators will also scavenge if given the chance, but vultures rely solely on decaying flesh for food. But why is this?

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References:
DeVault TL, et al. Scavenging by vertebrates: behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives on an important energy transfer pathway in terrestrial ecosystems. Oikos 2003;102:225–234.
Kane A, et al. A recipe for scavenging in vertebrates – the natural history of a behaviour. Ecography 2016;40:324–334.
Ruxton GD & Houston DC. Obligate vertebrate scavengers must be large soaring fliers. J Theor Biol 2004;228:431-436.
Roggenbuck M, et al. The microbiome of New World vultures. Nat Commun 2014;5:5498.

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#vulture #scavenging #scavenger #evolution #naturalselection

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