"Wanted dead or alive:" Black vultures (coragyps atratus) feeding on a live capybara (hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Abstract

Although vultures are scavengers that feed mainly carcasses, they occasionally may feed on living tissue of vulnerable vertebrates. In South America, most records of vulture attacks on live animals refer to newborns of domestic mammals. Here, we describe the behavior of a group of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) feeding on a live capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). The capybara had low mobility, high alopecia, and showed injuries in its dorsal region. The vultures insistently pursued the capybara and pecked directly on its injuries to feed on live tissue. The capybara tried to shake-off and bite the vultures and escaped from them by diving into the water. We suggest that the observed behaviors are compatible with an extreme case of semi-parasitic cleaning behavior by vultures on a live wild mammal.