Taphonomic signatures of early scavenging by black and turkey vultures.

ABSTRACT: Scavenging is critical for nutrient cycling and maintenance of healthy ecosystems. While there is substantial research into the identification of taphonomic signatures from facultative mammalian scavengers, early stage scavenging signatures by vultures remain unknown. Further, some vulture species are opportunistic predators, highlighting the need to define signatures observed in the course of normal scavenging behavior. We placed stillborn neonatal calves in an unoccupied pasture and used motion-trigger camera traps to quantify scavenging effort, then conducted necropsies to evaluate the effect of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) scavenging effort on carcass consumption. We measured the order of consumption of different tissue types to delineate which a

SUBMITTER: Wahl ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11324135 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature