scavenger
Feeds on remains
A scavenger is a person or animal that searches through discarded material for useful items.
Vultures and hyenas are scavengers, feeding on carrion.
People scavenge at dumps, thrift stores, or curbsides: He furnished his apartment entirely from scavenging.
The word extends to anything that collects waste or debris—certain cells scavenge dead tissue, and chemical scavengers bind unwanted substances.
Carrion-eating raptor
- hyenaCackling African carnivore
- jackalWild African dog
- condorGiant New World vulture
- buzzardSoaring carrion-eating raptor
crow · maggot · carcass · corpse · remains · carrion · decay · rot
One who uses unfairly
- profiteerOne exploiting shortages
- bottom-feederCreature eating from below
- parasiteOne exploiting a host
- leechBlood-feeding aquatic worm
hustler · shark · predator · vulture · scrounge · freeloader · moocher · scrounger
Organism breaking down corpses
- detritivoreEats dead organic material
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodegradableAble to decompose naturally
- compostDecayed organic fertilizer
recycling · cleanup · nature · beetle · fungus · bacteria · breakdown · organic
Commercial refuse container
- trashDiscarded worthless material
- junkWorthless discarded items
- scrapperPugnacious combatant
- pickerOne who gathers
recyclables · bottles · cans · metal · salvage · landfill · ragpicker · binning
vulture
Carrion-eating raptor
buzzard · crow · maggot · carcass · corpse · remains · carrion · decay · rot · flesh
exploiter
One who uses unfairly
- profiteerOne exploiting shortages
- bottom-feederCreature eating from below
- parasiteOne exploiting a host
leech · hustler · shark · predator · vulture · scrounge · freeloader · moocher · scrounger · sponger
decomposer
Organism breaking down corpses
- detritivoreEats dead organic material
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodegradableAble to decompose naturally
compost · recycling · cleanup · nature · beetle · fungus · bacteria · breakdown · organic · soil
dumpster
Commercial refuse container
picker · recyclables · bottles · cans · metal · salvage · landfill · ragpicker · binning · curb
gatherer
One who collects things
roots · insects · mushrooms · tracking · wilderness · survivalist · bushcraft · foraging · omnivore · herbivore
treasure
Valued wealth or keepsake
game · puzzle · competition · list · challenge · team · find · collect · race · party
- cockroach factsGerman cockroach, American cockroach, egg case, nymph, antenna
- feeding behaviorsfilter feeding, grazing, browsing, foraging, carnivory
- feeding typesherbivore, grazer, browser, plant-eater, vegetarian
- Dystopia1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four, dystopian fiction, totalitarianism, Brave New World
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- zoologymammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects
scavengerpredator
Organism that consumes others
hunter · apex predator · killer · stalker · pursuer
scavengerpolluter
One who dirties environments
litterer · producer · contaminator · dumper · creator
scavengerspendthrift
Reckless with money
big spender · buyer · consumer · wastrel · profligate
- scavenger huntGame of locating items
- scavenger bird
- oxygen scavengerSubstance removing reactive gas
scavenge, scavengers, scavenging, scavenged, scavenges, scavenger hunt, scavenger hunts