There are so many viruses and bacteria in carrion, why do vultures still eat carrion?

The food chain is a perfect biological chain, and each creature has its own corresponding natural enemies. Disconnecting any creature in the middle will threaten their survival, which is why it will not let any creature overflow and keep the natural balance at all times.

For vultures, if it stinks, then this meal is really delicious. Because these birds are scavengers, they feed on decaying animal carcasses. However, for most other predators, this dish will be fatal because it plays tricks on bacterial pathogens and their toxic excreta in carrion. But why doesn't smelly food bother vultures? Petra s drew our attention to this problem. Thank you! Danish researchers studied how street cleaners handle their strange food. They can show that scavengers have two guarantees: they fundamentally kill most bacteria and establish profitable relations with both sides, and the rest are gone.

When the vulture eats it, it will be very polite: with its sharp beak, it will tear holes in the semi-rotting corpse and dig out the internal organs and meat. Blood spurted out, and it stinks. Decomposition has long been used in animal carcasses: bacteria decompose meat and body fluids, releasing gases and toxic wastes. Every time a vulture takes a bite, it will ingest a proper amount of dangerous pathogens and their toxins. But what kills other animals doesn't seem to bother vultures. Even the venom of anthrax virus can be tolerated without any problems.

In order to find out why vultures survive in this harmful microbial cocktail, Rogenbach and his colleagues studied the microbial flora in the heads and rectum of 50 American vultures. Through DNA analysis, they determined the species and quantity of bacteria. Therefore, among other things, they can determine how many and which rotten bacteria even reach the digestive tract of vultures. Relationship between visceral disinfection and profit

As a result, only 76% of vultures are used as 528 different types of bacteria on the scalp, but only when they enter the family. This significant difference indicates that the researchers believe that the microorganisms captured in beak and food have been destroyed before reaching the rectum of birds. "Obviously, something very radical is happening to bacteria," said Lars Hestbjerg, co-author of Aarhus University.

In the digestive system of vultures, extreme chemical conditions dominate, and most importantly, the acidic environment almost completely disinfects carrion. Only bacteria that adapt to these extreme conditions can survive in intestinal transportation.