Scavenger Pronunciation
How to say Scavenger. Phonetic guide for kids and parents.
How to Pronounce Scavenger
SKAV-en-jer
ALL CAPS = stressed syllable
What does Scavenger mean?
eats dead animals or rotting matter
Name Roots
"scavage"
a toll paid by merchants for displaying goods in a market, from Old French 'escauwer' meaning to inspect or examine
"-er"
a suffix meaning 'one who does' a thing, from Old English and Germanic origin
Fun Facts
- âThe Argentavis magnificens, a giant extinct condor-like bird with a 23-foot wingspan, was almost certainly a scavenger that soared over South America about 6 million years ago sniffing out carcasses across enormous distances.
- âModern vultures have stomach acid so strong (pH close to 1, similar to car battery acid) that they can safely digest bones, anthrax, botulinum toxin, and rabies virus that would kill almost any other animal.
- âSpinosaurus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs ever at up to 59 feet long, likely scavenged fish carcasses along riverbanks in addition to active hunting, based on isotope analysis of its teeth published in 2010.
- âTyrannosaurus rex had an olfactory bulb ratio compared to total brain size larger than almost any other dinosaur ever measured, suggesting a super-powered sense of smell that would be perfectly suited to locating dead animals from many miles away.
- âThe word 'scavenger' originally had nothing to do with eating dead things. In 14th-century England, a scavenger was a city official whose job was to collect tolls from merchants and keep the streets clean of refuse.