Research overview: carrion ecology and scavenger communities at felid kills

A survey of the diverse communities of vertebrates and invertebrates that exploit carcasses produced by cats, and how those carcasses structure scavenger interactions. Felid kills attract a succession of scavengers, from large carnivores and raptors to corvids, beetles and flies, competing over the resource with a hierarchy shaped by body size and aggression. This overview synthesizes camera-based studies of who visits felid carcasses, the timing and partitioning of carrion use, and how the predictability and dispersion of cat kills compares with episodic die-offs as a carrion source. It connects to broader scavenging ecology and to the role of pumas and other cats as steady carrion providers. Understanding these networks clarifies the felid contribution to ecosystem function and energy flow.