scavenger; saprophagous animal
Technical term in biology and medicine for an animal that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter. In everyday contexts, 腐肉食動物 or simply スカベンジャー may be more common.
Vultures are typical scavengers.
Scavengers play the role of decomposers in the ecosystem.
More specifically refers to animals that eat rotting flesh, while 腐食動物 is a broader term for any animal feeding on decaying organic matter.
Common loanword for 'scavenger', often used in everyday conversation and media, whereas 腐食動物 is a formal biological term.
Compound of 腐食 (fushoku, 'decay' or 'decomposition') and 動物 (dōbutsu, 'animal'). The term is a modern scientific coinage, likely from the Meiji period, based on the concept of saprophagy.