"I'm not sure why many of us have a negative impression of s; perhaps it's their naked heads, or perhaps we find their diet of the dead and desiccated unappealing. ... Instead of defending themselves with s or teeth, they vomit in the general direction of a threat, certainly not the most charming attribute. Above all, I think we dislike turkey vultures because they remind us of our own mortality and that life will continue after we die—and that, as with all animals, something will be waiting to consume our bodies."