Carrion is derived from the Latin caro, which means meat, and it refers to the carcass of a dead animal.


Carrion is an important food source for carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems and carrion eaters, or scavengers, play an important role in clearing up and recycling animal remains.


Examples of carrion eaters include: vultures, hyenas, tasmanian devils, black bears, komodo dragons, bald eagles and raccoons.