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Spotted hyena tearing at an impala carcass

Carnivorous

Carnivores are animals whose main method of getting food is to kill and eat other animals, or to scavenge their dead flesh. Typically, the word brings to mind the large predators at the top of the food chain - lions, wolves and the like - but insectivores (insect eaters) and piscivores (fish eaters) are equally carnivorous. The group of mammals, Carnivora, are so called because so many of the species in it (felines, canines, etc) are defined by their carnivorous diet. Some plants are also carnivorous.

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Animals with this behaviour

Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Cartilaginous fish

Ray-finned fishes

Lobe-finned fishes

Lampreys

Cephalopods

Insects

Arachnids

Snails and slugs

Starfish

Jellyfish

About

A carnivore (pron.: /ˈkɑrnɪvɔər/) meaning 'meat eater' (Latin, caro meaning 'meat' or 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour') is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging. Animals that depend solely on animal flesh for their nutrient requirements are considered obligate carnivores while those that also consume non-animal food are considered facultative carnivores.Omnivores also consume both animal and non-animal food, and apart from the more general definition, there is no clearly defined ratio of plant to animal material that would distinguish a facultative carnivore from an omnivore. A carnivore that sits at the top of the foodchain is an apex predator.

Plants that capture and digest insects are called carnivorous plants. Similarly, fungi that capture microscopic animals are often called carnivorous fungi.

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Behaviours

Other Feeding habits behaviours

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