California condors are obligate scavengers, meaning they survive only by finding and feeding on animals that have already died. They don’t hunt. They must go where the food is. Carrion isn’t a predictable food source. Animals don’t always die out in the open—or in safe places. Dead animals may be claimed by other meat eaters hiding in the shadows. Mountain lion or bobcats gorge and then rest near large carcasses, and returning repeatedly until they consume all they want. Feline predators often d