SCAVENGERS:The Rain Forest Recyclers
By Kyle HemesIn the rainforest, scavengers play a very important role. Scavengers recycle dead animals that are laying around the rainforest floor. If they did not exist, the rainforest would be overpopulated with dead animals. Scavengers are in the detritus food chain. This food chain is for animals that eat other dead animals. The animals in the detritus food chain aren't always pure scavengers beacause some are carnivores that won't pass up a dead meal.

Courtesy of Animals of the Rainforest
Name: King Vulture
Description: King Vultures are very large and have a huge beak for ripping and cutting animal flesh. They have a great sense of smell to follow dying animals for food. They fly over places that could have dead animals and use their keen eyesight to find their meal. Habitat destruction is a problem for the King Vulture.
Habitat: Tropical rainforests in central and South America
Diet: Decaying flesh of an animal
Name: Termite
Description: Termites are usually around 5-6mm long but the queen Termite can get as long as 10cm. The worker termites work for their Queen gathering food and making shelter. The colonies the termites make and live in can hold 9-10 million termites.
Habitat: Rainforests and tropical places all over the world.
Diet: Dead plant material and dung.

Courtesy of Animals of the Rainforest
{Home Page} {Producers} {Food Webs} {Herbivores}
{Carnivores} {Omnivores} {Scavengers} {Conservation}
<<<Return to Student Web Sites