A carnivore is an animal which eats mostly 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
Unlike tigers, Penguins don't need teeth and claws to be carnivores. They feed on crustaceans, fish, squid, and other small marine life.
- 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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Lion eating meat
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The Venus flytrap, a well known carnivorous plant
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This Bengal tiger's sharp teeth and strong jaws are the classical physical traits expected from carnivorous mammalian predators
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Carnivore Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.