Heads or tails: selective body part feeding by scavengers across species and season

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Abstract Many wild species regulate their nutritional intake and respond dynamically to nutritional stressors, yet little is known about the targeted feeding behaviours of carnivorous scavengers—specifically, which body parts they consume. Using camera traps to monitor 40 experimentally positioned eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) carcasses across contrasting seasons, we explored the feeding choices of two apex scavengers, the dingo (Canis dingo) and the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), and an invasive mesoscavenger, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Apex scavengers consistently targeted non-protein energy sources (tail, head and abdominal region) upon first arrival and outcompeted foxes for these body parts. However, feeding patterns varied between species and seasons; apex scavengers fed more on the abdomen in the cool season, and eagles exhibited greater feeding on the head relative to the other species. Dingoes and foxes showed greater similarity to each other in overall feeding location use than either did to eagles. As decomposition progressed, apex scavengers adjusted their use of different body parts; eagles trended towards increased hindlimb feeding in the cool season, while dingoes shifted towards the tail and away from the thorax and hindlimbs, whereas foxes showed comparatively limited temporal plasticity in feeding behaviour. These findings reveal distinct body part preferences among scavengers and are consistent with targeted, and potentially nutritionally structured, use of carcass resources, highlighting the possible roles of macronutrient regulation and dominance hierarchies in shaping scavenger foraging ecology.

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