The decaying flesh of dead animals, especially when being consumed by scavengers like vultures or crows.
From Old French 'caroigne', from Vulgar Latin 'caronia', from Latin 'caro' (flesh). The word evolved to specifically refer to rotting flesh rather than fresh meat.
Carrion plays a crucial ecological role - without scavengers cleaning up carcasses, dead animals would accumulate and spread disease, making creatures that eat carrion unsung heroes of ecosystem health, even though we find their diet revolting.
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