Plants and animals are living things. They come to life, grow and change. Living things use energy to work and to repair themselves. They are made of cells. Some are made of only one cell. Sooner or later, every living thing dies. What happens then? Let's find out.

When something dies, its body stops working. A body that has died does not start working again. Dead is forever. This is true for plants and animals. People are living things too. What happens next to the body is a story about food, soil and new life.

Lives come in very different lengths. A young mayfly, called a naiad, lives in water for months, even several years. An adult mayfly does not eat. It lives only a day or two, long enough to mate and lay eggs. A clam called Ming was 507 years old when it died in 2006. It is the longest-lived single animal ever found, as of November 2026.

A dead animal does not stay for long. Scavengers such as vultures and sea eagles find dead animals quickly and eat them. Dead plants and animals are food for decomposers. These are bacteria, fungi and earthworms. Millipedes, sow bugs and fly larvae also help break down dead material.

Fungi cannot make their own food. They release enzymes that break down dead plants and animals. Bacteria are tiny living things. The ones on dead material break it down into nutrients. Earthworms eat dead plants and animals. They loosen the soil as they burrow. Their droppings, called casts, help plants grow.

Decomposers break dead things down into nutrients. The nutrients go back into the soil, where plants can use them again. Decomposers are nature's recyclers. Without them, waste would pile up. A fallen dead tree can become a nurse log. New baby trees grow on it. They get shade, nutrients and water. Squirrels roost on nurse logs, and bats have been found using tree stumps.

In the sea, a dead whale sinks to the sea floor. Its body feeds deep-sea animals. This is called a whale fall. Sharks, hagfish, rattails and crabs eat the flesh off the bones. A skeleton can feed animals for years, even decades.

Most dead plants and animals decay or get eaten. So only some become fossils. A fossil often starts when mud, sand or ash buries a dead thing fast. Soft parts rot away. Hard parts such as bones, teeth and shells are left behind. That is why finding a fossil is a rare thing.

Every living thing dies. The nutrients go back into the soil, and new life grows. People and families believe different things about death. Ask yours what they believe. If you feel sad or have questions, talk to a grown-up you trust. That could be a parent, a teacher or a doctor. They are there to listen.

Words to know

• decomposers: dead-thing breakers
• nutrients: food for growing
• scavengers: dead animal eaters
• fossil: old buried remains
• recyclers: use things again

The short version

When a living thing dies, its body stops working and does not start again. Dead plants and animals are food for decomposers such as bacteria, fungi and earthworms. They break the body down into nutrients that go back into the soil, where plants can use them again.

Quick facts

• When a living thing dies, its body stops working.
• A body that has died does not start working again.
• Every living thing dies at some time: plants and animals alike.
• Decomposers are nature's recyclers. Without them, waste would pile up.
• Most dead plants and animals decay or get eaten, so only some become fossils.