Carnivore facts for kids
A carnivore is an animal which eats only meat. Predators commonly hunt and kill their own prey. Scavengers are carnivores which eat animals they did not kill themselves. Carnivores which eat mainly or only insects are called insectivores. Carnivores which eat mainly or only fish are called piscivores.
The word "carnivore" describes more than just the scientific order Carnivora. However, almost all animals in the Carnivora do eat meat, though a few do not.
List of living carnivores
- Mammals
- All feliforms, such as domestic cats, big cats, hyenas, mongooses, civets
- Almost all caniforms, such as the dogs, wolves, foxes, ferrets, seals and walruses
- All cetaceans, such as dolphins, whales and porpoises
- All bats except fruitbats
- The carnivorous marsupials, such as the Tasmanian devil
- Birds
- All birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, falcons and owls
- All vultures, both old world and new
- Most waterfowl, such as gulls, penguins, pelicans, storks, and herons
- Reptiles
- All crocodilians, such as alligators, crocodiles, gharials and caimans
- All snakes, such as cobras, vipers, pythons and boas
- Some lizards, such as most skinks and all monitor lizards
- Some turtles, including the snapping turtle and most sea turtles
- Fish and amphibians
- All frogs and toads
- Almost all sharks, such as tiger, great white, nurse and reef sharks
- Most teleosts, such as tuna, marlin, salmon, and bass
- Invertebrates
- Most crustaceans, such as the coconut crab are mainly omnivorous, but eat some prey and carrion
- Many molluscs, such as octopus and squid, and some gastropods
- All arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions
- Many insects, such as mantises, dragonflies and most wasps
- All jellyfish and sea stars
Related pages
Images for kids
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Lions are obligate carnivores consuming only animal flesh for their nutritional requirements
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Members of the plant kingdom can live on meat too, such as the Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant
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The Bengal tiger's large canines and strong jaws reveal its place as an apex predator
See also
In Spanish: Carnívoro para niños
