An animal that feeds primarily on dead or decaying organic matter, including carrion and waste. These organisms play a crucial ecological role by cleaning up carcasses and preventing the spread of disease in ecosystems.
From Middle English 'scavager,' originally meaning a street cleaner or toll collector who cleaned up refuse. The term evolved from Old French 'escauwer' meaning to inspect or examine, and gained its modern biological meaning in the 1800s as naturalists observed animals performing similar cleanup functions in nature.
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