Animal cannibalism

thumb|A slug, Arion vulgaris, eating a dead individual of the same species Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well documented, both in ancient and in recent times.

Large cave dwelling arachnid

thumb|Placental morphologies of varying placental mammals alt=|thumb|Mother goat engaging in placentophagy Placentophagy, also known as placentophagia, is the act of consuming part or all of the afterbirth following parturition in mammals. Parturition involves the delivery of the neonate, as well as the placenta and fetal membranes. The placenta is a critical organ that develops in the maternal uterus during pregnancy to support the fetus. It connects to the fetus via the umbilical cord in order to allow nutrient transport, waste excretion and gas exchange between mother and fetus. The morphol

practice when a female cannibalizes her mate prior to, during, or after copulation

Autocannibalism, also known as self-cannibalism and autosarcophagy, is the practice of eating parts of one's own body. Generally, only the consumption of flesh (including organ meat such as heart or liver) by an individual of the same species is considered cannibalism. In line with this usage, self-cannibalism means the consumption of flesh from one's own body. While some texts use this strict definition, others use the term autocannibalism in a wider sense that includes the consumption of hair or nails from one's own body.

thumb|300x300px|Embryonic oophagy occurs in shortfin mako. Oophagy ( ) or ovophagy, literally "egg eating", is the practice of embryos feeding on eggs produced by the ovary while still inside the mother's uterus. The word oophagy is formed from the classical Greek (, "egg") and classical Greek (, "to eat"). In contrast, adelphophagy is the cannibalism of a multi-celled embryo.