Final answer:
Animals contribute to the carbon cycle through the process of decomposition. When an animal dies, bacteria decompose the body, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aside from exhaling carbon dioxide, animals are part of the carbon cycle in another significant way: decomposition. When an animal dies, the carbon contained within its body is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide during the process of decomposition by bacteria and other decomposers. This is represented by option B: When an animal dies, bacteria release carbon in the body during the process of decomposition.
Carbon, a key component in regulating the Earth's temperature, cycles through the ecosystem, connecting all living organisms. Decomposition is just one step in the complex journey of carbon through land, water, and air, where it's also stored in various carbon reservoirs such as oceans, soil, and the atmosphere.