How does one animals death provide food for another animal?

Answer 1

When an animal dies, for example, a deer, it provides food to predatory carnivorous animals such as lions and tigers, as well as scavenger carnivorous animals such as vultures and hyenas. These animals feed on the meat of the dead animal.

Another example would be, when butterflies die, they may provide food for praying mantises and ants which feed on their carcasses. These examples show that when any type of animal, be it mammalian or not, dies, it provides food for other animals.

From another angle, when an animal, dies, not only does it provide food for scavenger feeders and predators, it also allows other animals which feed on the same things as itself to have more food as there would be less competition.

Take this scenario: If there are ten lions in a forest, each one only gets a tenth of the total prey present. If there are only five lions, on the other hand, each lion gets twice of that, or one-fifth of the prey in the forest. This is also the case with any other animal, regardless of diet.

From yet another angle, when an animal dies, it decomposes. When that happens, its body is broken down, which results in the production of mineral salts and detritus, which provides food for detritus feeders such as snails and certain insects.

Answer 2

When an animal dies, decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down its body, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem. Scavengers then feed on the decaying remains, recycling the energy and nutrients into their own bodies. This process helps maintain the balance of nutrient cycles in the ecosystem.