2026
Research · Conservation
Invasive species at carrion
How feral pigs and red foxes compete with native scavengers for carcasses.
Introduced species are major players in Australia’s scavenger communities. Feral pigs can match or exceed native apex scavengers such as dingoes and wedge-tailed eagles in how often they use carrion, and red foxes scavenge across very different ecosystems.
Understanding these interactions helps predict the knock-on effects of invasive species on native wildlife and on how carrion is recycled.
Related publications
2026
Biological Invasions
Top hog not top dog? An invasive scavenger outcompetes native apex scavengers at carrion
In the Australian Alps, invasive feral pigs found and used carcasses as often as, or more often than, native apex scavengers such as dingoes and wedge-tailed eagles.