10 Very Interesting Carnivorous Animals, Do You Know Them All?
Usually when we think of carnivorous animals we have no problem naming various species. However, we tend to overlook some details, for example, not all carnivores are mammals or fish. Then we realize that these creatures are throughout the animal kingdom, with different skins.
To begin with, we could make a distinction between those carnivorous animals that feed on insects and invertebrates (insectivores), fish (piscivores) or mammals (‘pure’ carnivores).
Types of carnivorous animals, according to their diet
As its name suggests, the food of carnivorous animals is of animal origin. In this way, carnivores can be classified into three categories, according to their type of diet:
- Predators: they hunt and eat their prey on the spot.
- Ghouls: they eat carrion and the remains of corpses of dead animals that they find in their path.
- Dung: eat mainly excrement and sometimes insects or small animals.
The most popular carnivorous animals
1. The lion
The King of the Jungle lives in Africa and feeds on large mammals, such as wildebeest and zebra, its favorite prey. Occasionally, it can feed on carrion. And, despite the fact that both the male and the female are lethal hunters, the one in charge of providing food to the herd is the females.
2. The vulture
Their diet is based on the consumption of dead animals. Unlike other raptors, vultures often eat large dead animals abandoned by their hunters. Their thick beaks allow them to tear through skin and dig between bones to extract all the meat.
3. White shark
The white shark is one of the deadliest carnivorous animals on the planet. Its attack is fierce and it is capable of devouring its prey in a few minutes. His entire physiognomy greatly favors him both in stalking and in attack. Very eventually, it can feed on whale carrion.
4. The crocodile
Thanks to its large jaws it can devour large mammal species in a matter of minutes. One of its capturing techniques is very unique: it approaches the water’s edge and remains very still until its prey falls into its jaws. In the water, it moves very quickly and once it captures its prey, it drags it until it drowns it. Then it devours it.
5. The scorpion
This invertebrate feeds on insects and spiders and, on some occasions, on longwigs or small rodents. He first poisons his victims with his powerful stinger and then rips them apart to eat them in parts. This process can take hours to eat all the food.
6. The polar bear
The polar bear is one of the largest carnivorous animals in the world. His favorite food is baby seals, although he also eats fish. In a single day you can consume up to 30 kg of food.
7. The pelican
The pelican is one of the most interesting carnivorous animals that exist. It can eat fish up to 30 centimeters long. It can also include crustaceans, sea turtles, and amphibians.
In deep water, the pelican fishes alone and when it is close to shore it forms groups to pounce on the schools of fish. They have a ‘pouch’ under the beak and swallow without chewing.
8. The gecko
The gecko is a carnivorous reptile that feeds on spiders and insects, although in some cases they include centipedes and scorpions in their diet, and even smaller lizards and small birds. It is an opportunistic hunter who does not have a defined food preference. Eat what you find.
9. The octopus
The octopod, named for its eight feet, is a mollusk that feeds on small crustaceans and fish, although it can sometimes ingest some algae. To hunt, it moves its arms and attracts the attention of its prey, to then attract them with its suction cups. Another way to achieve your goal is to stand on the prey and catch it with the mouth in the form of a beak.
10. Dolphin
It is a mammal that eats fish, especially tuna. Their techniques range from surrounding the shoals to pile them up and eat them in turns with other dolphins, to taking advantage of the sound waves that bounce off the fish. Some cetaceans can also use their tails to stun prey.
The cheetah, penguin, tuna, ocellated lizard, hyena, owl, swordfish, Florida turtle, firefly, squid, and snake are some of the most popular carnivorous animals on the planet. However, the main exponents of this category come to be that we discussed earlier. Curious, huh?
