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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Species with this adaptation

Amphibians

Birds

Cartilaginous fishes

Insects

Mammals

Octopus, Squid and allies

Ray-finned fishes

Reptiles

Sea stars and starfishes

About

A carnivore (pronounced /ˈkɑrnɪvɔər/), meaning 'meat eater' (Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour'), is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of vertebrate and/or invertebrate 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 too 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, or an omnivore from a facultative herbivore, for that matter. 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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