Scavengers in the Savanna's Food Web

Scavengers are animals that eat dead animals. In the Maasai Steppe Ecosystem where the Wild Nature Institute's scientists work, there are many scavengers which feed on the numerous animals that die from natural causes, or clean up the carcasses after a predator is finished. Vultures, hyenas, jackals, and even predators like lions often scavenge food.

This lioness had just killed a full-grown buffalo. Scavengers were not far behind.

What would happen on the African savanna if there were no scavengers? Dead animals would pile up and take a long time to decompose, especially in drier climates where there are fewer decomposers such as fungi. Therefore, scavengers play an important role in the savanna ecosystem.

Hyenas are the undisputed top scavengers of the African savanna, with specialized jaws that can crush bones. These spotted hyenas can drive a leopard or lion off its kill.

Black-backed jackals are often spotted at the scene of a lion kill.

Avian scavengers like White-backed Vultures and Marabou Storks have no feathers on their heads - otherwise, their heads would get covered with blood and tissue from a carcass, which would then become a source of disease.

The White-backed Vulture is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The massive Marabou Stork may have the largest wingspan of any living bird, and can weigh up to 20 pounds!

Scavengers also provide another service. Their presence helps scientists to locate recent predator kills so we can document life - and death - in the savanna.