Scavengers are organisms that help clean a habitat by feeding on dead or rotting flesh. They help break down the remains left behind by carnivores. Vultures and maggots (baby flies) are common scavengers.

Decomposers are organisms that break down the remains of dead animals or plants. Many live in or on the soil. Fungi and bacteria are examples of decomposers.

Which of the following is an example of decomposers at work?


a. a fish eating dead seaweed floating in the water
b. a vulture picking apart a dead mouse in the woods
c. a squirrel gnawing at a dead bird on the ground
d. a fungus growing on a rotten tomato, breaking down its skin