The word “carnivore” has been derived from the Latin dictionary, which literally translates to meat-eaters.
These animals either hunt other animals called prey or feed on the dead organic matter called scavengers. The majority of carnivorous animals belong to the order Carnivora, but there are other aquatic animals and invertebrates that are carnivorous too. Animals that depend on flesh entirely for their food and energy requirements are called obligate carnivores. Whereas, animals that feed on both animal and non-animal foods are called facultative carnivores.
Types of Carnivores
Based on the Percentage of Consumption of Meat
- Hypercarnivore: A carnivore that is 70% dependent on meat for its food requirement is called hypercarnivore. E.g., tiger, lion, sea stars.
- Mesocarnivore: Animals who are 50% dependent on meat for their food requirements are called mesocarnivores. E.g., fox
- Hypocarnivore: Animals that depend only 30% on meat for their diets are referred to as hypocarnivores. These animals are sometimes also referred to as omnivores. E.g., bear
Based on their Diets
- Piscivorous: Animals that feed majorly on fishes are called piscivorous. E.g., sea lions.
- Insectivorous: Animals that feed on insects are called insectivorous. E.g., lizards, bats.
- Cannibals: Animals that feed on other animals of their own species are referred to as cannibals. They do so to reduce competition for food and other resources. E.g., chimpanzees.
- Scavengers: Animals that feed on the dead bodies of other animals are called scavengers. They are mostly considered as a whole different class of organisms. E.g., vultures, hyenas.
Position of Carnivores in the Food Chain
A food chain is a linear chain of organisms in the sequence of how the organisms eat each other. A food chain starts with the autotrophs or producers. Autotrophs are those organisms that make their own food by the process of photosynthesis. The next in the food chain are the herbivores. Herbivorous animals are those that feed on the autotrophs for their nutrition. They are also known as primary consumers. The next in the chain can be an omnivore or carnivore; they are also called secondary consumers. Similarly, tertiary consumers are next that eat the secondary consumers. Finally, the chain ends either with a decomposer or detritivores.
Each animal consists of trophic levels that pass energy to the animals that consume them. A simple example of a food chain is depicted below.
Adaptations of a Carnivore
Carnivorous animals adapt certain features that help them in hunting. These adaptations include:
- Strong jaw with long sharp teeth to tear through the flesh of an animal,
- Sharp claws to hold the prey in position,
- Curved beaks in birds that hold their prey in their mouth,
- Spiders are known to weave webs with a sticky material that helps them in trapping their prey,
- Snakes and jellyfish sting toxic material into their prey that either venomizes or kills the animal.
Exceptions
We have been referring to carnivores as animals since the beginning, but there are some exceptions to it.
- The venus fly-trap is a plant that traps insects in their leaves once it brushes along and shuts their leaves, leaving no room to escape.
- Sundew is another species of plant that trap insects on their sticky hair-like filaments.
- There are some species of fungi that feed on other microbes for their survival.
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